Chosen Eats: Pumpkin Seeds Two Ways

If you’re hosting a Halloween party this weekend, forget the spiced pumpkin Yankee Candle; the aroma of roasted pumpkin seeds fills a kitchen with the scents of fall.

And those scents can vary depending on your tastes. Chances are you’ve roasted pumpkin seeds before. Simply sprinkling them with a little salt and baking them at a moderate heat is a great place to start, but why stop there? Pumpkin seeds are blank slates that take on other flavors and seasonings really well. You can dress them up with any of your favorite spices. Here are two of my favorites, one with the traditional flavors of pumpkin pie and the other with a sweet-and-savory combination of maple syrup and thyme.

Pumpkin Seeds with Cinnamon and Cloves

Makes 1 cup

1 cup pumpkin seeds
½ teaspoon canola oil
½ teaspoon brown sugar
¼ teaspoon cinnamon
⅛ teaspoon ground cloves

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill medium bowl with water and submerge seeds in bowl. Rinse seeds and transfer—leaving pumpkin pulp in bowl—to paper towel-lined plate. Dry thoroughly.

Once seeds are dry, combine all ingredients in medium bowl and mix until evenly coated. Transfer seeds to parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into one layer. Cook until crisp and some seeds are starting to brown, about 15 minutes.

Pumpkin Seeds with Maple Syrup and Thyme

Makes 1 cup

1 cup pumpkin seeds
½ teaspoon canola oil
½ teaspoon maple syrup
½ teaspoon minced thyme
¼ teaspoon salt

Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Line rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper. Fill medium bowl with water and submerge seeds in bowl. Rinse seeds and transfer—leaving pumpkin pulp in bowl—to paper towel-lined plate. Dry thoroughly.

Once seeds are dry, combine all ingredients in medium bowl and mix until evenly coated. Transfer seeds to parchment-lined baking sheet and spread into one layer. Cook until crisp and some seeds are starting to brown, about 15 minutes.