Roast the pumpkin seeds
Don't throw out the guts. Kids pick the seeds clean, pick the flavor, and you work the oven. Forty-five minutes to a snack they made.
- Time
- 45 min
- Cost
- $0
- Ages
- 4 to 14
- Where
- Kitchen
What you need
- Seeds from one pumpkin
- Colander and a bowl of water
- Baking sheet and a towel
- Oil or melted butter, and salt
- A seasoning: cinnamon sugar, garlic powder or chili powder
- Oven mitts
Before you start
- Not for toddlers. AAP lists seeds, especially sunflower seeds, among choking-risk foods and says to keep high-risk foods from children until 4 or older, depending on the child's development. Little ones under 4, and any 4-year-old you're not sure about, get a different snack.
- Dad's oven. You put the sheet in and take it out with mitts. AAP says not to leave cooking food unattended, so stay in the kitchen while the oven is on.
- Hot sheet, hot seeds. Set the sheet on the stovetop and let the seeds cool 5 minutes before anyone tastes.
- Burns: AAP says soak a burn in cool water as quickly as possible, and never put ice or butter on it.
Steps
- Heat the oven and rinse. Oven to 325°F. Seeds into a bowl of water: seeds float, strings sink.
- Pick them clean. Kids scoop floating seeds into the colander and pull off the strings.
- Dry them well. Pat the seeds dry on a towel. Dry seeds get crunchy.
- Pick the flavor and season. Kid picks a flavor. Toss with a little oil and seasoning, spread in one layer.
- Roast and stir. Roast 20–30 min, stir every 10, until golden. Kid runs the timer.
- Cool and taste-test. Cool 5 minutes, then taste and rate. Jar the rest once cool.
If it stalls
- If the seeds are chewy, they needed more drying or more time. Put them back for 5 minutes.
- If kids won't eat the shells, that's fine. They had the fun part; you get the snack.
Winning flavor
Signed off: can do this.Signed by Date