Spicy Sweet Pepitas

Posted by Paulette
 It's Autumn, finally! The temps in Arizona are now around the low 90's which for us is nice and cool. Halloween i s two weeks away, and the pumpkins are in the stores. 
This is one of my favorite times of year for cooking. The fact that my A/C doesn't have to work over time to cool the house, I can do some baking!
 Today, I promised Chris that we'd make some sweet and spicy pumpkin seeds that we saw on Martha Stewart.

   We started by cutting a pumpkin in two, and scooping out the seeds. Then they were dried on a cookie sheet in the oven for 1 hour at 200 degrees F.

Now pour 1 1/2 teaspoons olive oil  and 2 tablespoons brown sugar into a large pan, on medium heat. 
While that heats up a little, in a small bowl, combine: 
3 Tablespoons brown sugar
1/4 teaspoon sea salt
1/4 teaspoon ground cumin
1/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/4 teaspoon paprika \
The original recipe calls for cayenne pepper. But I'm making this for my kids, so I wanted the sweet smoky flavor without the heat. 

  After the pepitas have cooked for about 5 minutes in the oil and sugar, stirring constantly, add the sugar spice mixture.

 
  And stir it in until the pumpkin seeds are well coated. Pour into a container to cool, and then enjoy! 
Ours didn't last out the hour. They were that GOOD!