Thrifty Thursday- Cinnamon and Sugar and Spicy Pumpkin seeds.

We love roasting pumpkin seeds after carving pumpkins. We usually makes them with savory spices on them but last year my daughter decided to try making a batch with cinnamon and sugar and they are delicious. Here are our two favorite pumpkin seed recipes.

To prepare pumpkin seeds: After removing the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin, rinse the pumpkin seeds under cold water and pick out the pulp and strings. You want to do this as soon after removing the pumpkin seeds as possible. If the pulp dries onto the seeds it's really hard to remove. I usually scoop the seeds into a bowl of water and then clean them once we're done carving.


Cinnamon and Sugar Pumpkin Seeds
1 1/2 to 2 cups of pumpkin seeds cleaned and patted dry with paper towels.
1 to 2 TBS melted butter
1/3 cup of white sugar
1/4 tsp salt
1  tsps of ground cinnamon
You can also add a 1/4 to 1/2 tsp of cayenne pepper to the sugar and cinnamon mixture for a bit of heat and spice to go along with the sweet.

• Preheat oven to 325°
• Mix Cinnamon and sugar in a small bowl
  
• Place prepared pumpkin seeds and the melted butter into a gallon size zip lock bag and toss until seeds are coated with butter
  
• Sprinkle the cinnamon and sugar mixture into the bag and toss until the seeds are all evenly coated with the sugar. 
• Spread the seeds out onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet in a single layer. 
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until the seeds are golden brown and crispy.

Spicy Pumpkin Seeds
1 to 2 cups of prepared pumpkin seeds
1 tablespoon olive oil or vegetable oil
1/4 tsp garlic  powder
1/2 teaspoon chili powder
1/2 teaspoon salt- seasoned salt works great too.
1/2 teaspoon sweet paprika or smoked paprika
1/2 tsp cumin

• Preheat oven to 325°
• Mix all the dry spices in a small bowl.
• Place prepared pumpkin seeds and the olive oil into a gallon size zip lock bag and toss until seeds are coated
• Sprinkle the dried spices into the bag and toss until the seeds are all evenly coated.
• Spread the seeds out onto a greased or parchment lined cookie sheet in a single layer. 
• Bake for 25 to 30 minutes, stirring every 5 minutes until the seeds are golden brown and crispy.