Smoky roasted pumpkin seeds

Ingredients

0 of 6 out on the counter

• 2 cups raw hulled pumpkin seeds (green kernels, no shells)
• 2 tsp olive oil
• 2 tsp smoked paprika
• ½ tsp garlic powder
• ½ tsp ground black pepper
• ½ tsp salt

All set! Everything is out. Time to bake.

Method

1. 1Heat the oven to 350 °F with a rack in the middle and line a rimmed sheet pan with parchment. Oven roasting is not changed at 5,430 ft (CSU Extension, High Altitude Food Preparation), so go by the colour and the smell as well as the clock.
2. 2Put the pumpkin seeds in a bowl, add the oil and toss until every seed is shiny. Stir the paprika, garlic powder, pepper and salt together, sprinkle it over and toss again so the spice sticks to the oil.
3. 3Spread the seeds on the pan in one layer. Roast 10 to 14 minutes, stirring at 5 minutes and again at 9. They are done when they are puffed, fragrant and a pale gold, with a few popping; they darken fast in the last 2 minutes, and they keep crisping as they cool, so take them out when they look slightly underdone.
4. 4Leave them on the pan until completely cool, about 20 minutes, then pour into a jar. Sealed while warm, they sweat and go soft.
5. 5Keep them dry in a closed jar or paper bag. They need no fridge, which is why they pack for a day on the trail. For longer than a few weeks, keep them in the fridge or the freezer (our kitchen practice; we hold no published source for it yet).