Our recent seasonal recipes have left us with a large amount of pumpkin seeds. This is my favorite recipe for what to do with them. Apropos of nothing, seeds are a great idea for families with nut allergies. But they’re really delicious no matter what. And they’re a great treat for when you’re on the couch watching a movie, or for sprinkling on salad, soup, or even roasted squash.

1 cup pumpkin seeds (freshly harvested from a real pumpkin)
1 Tbsp. olive oil
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1 pinch cayenne pepper (optional)

1. Set the oven to 350F.
2. Place all the seeds in a large bowl of cold water. As the seeds float to the top of the water, use your fingers to rub off any adherent pumpkin flesh. Lift out the cleaned seeds and transfer them to a kitchen towel. Blot to get rid of any excess water, and transfer the dried seeds to a baking sheet.
3. Toast the pumpkin seeds approximately 5 minutes until they are dry but a little bit tacky.
4. Remove the baking sheet from the oven and drizzle the seeds with olive oil. Mix salt with a pinch of cayenne pepper in a little cup, stirring well with a fork or tiny whisk. Sprinkle the seeds with the salt and pepper mixture, and then spread the seeds into a single, even layer. Return the baking sheet to the oven, and bake 25-30 minutes, stirring occasionally, until seeds begin to turn golden brown.
5. Allow to cool so you don’t burn your fingers or tongue when you eat them. Once cooled, you can store them in an airtight container. I like using a glass jar. The seeds will keep nicely at room temperature for a week, but I doubt they will last that long. Enjoy.

Thank you to Ali Slager for a prior version of this recipe at Roasted Pumpkin Seeds.