Roasted Pumpkin Seeds

This recipe is so easy and dee-licious! I know, I'm just getting around to roasting the pumpkin seeds from the pumpkin from October, but at least I got to it before the new year. Before you throw away your decorative pumpkins next year, wait until after you make this tasty snack!

What you need:
- Pumpkin seeds from 1 pumpkin (about 2-3 cups)
- 1/3 cup Butter, melted
- Sea salt

First, the messy part- cut open the pumpkin and pull all of the seeds out of the slimy insides. Put the seeds in a strainer and wash them really well to get off all the slimy orange pumpkin pieces. (Optional: feed the rest of the pumpkin insides to the backyard chickens waiting for their treat).

Next, wait for the clean pumpkin seeds to dry. At first I laid them out on a baking sheet. After waiting for a few hours with not much progress (or patience on my part) I tossed them in the dehydrator on the sheet for liquids and they were crispy dry in less than half an hour.

No matter how you do it, once they are completely dry, toss the pumpkin seeds in 1/3 cup melted butter. Spread the mixture out on a baking sheet so that the seeds don't overlap. Well, do the best you can, they are slippery little things, and they love to overlap. Sprinkle the whole pan with salt to taste.

Bake on 350 degrees for 20 minutes until golden brown and crunchy. Once they cool off, go ahead and eat them by the handful! They are so good! Crunchy and salty, plus full of protein. DH and I love to sprinkle them on salads instead of croutons :) 

To keep them fresh and crunchy, store them just sitting out on the counter without covering them. I know this sounds strange (especially for us in our humid climate) but it definitely works. This tasty snack probably won't last a week, but they will stay good and crunchy for up to a week just sitting out on the counter. Hope you enjoy!!!