Chipotle Lime Pumpkin Seeds

While processing our pie pumpkins the other day, I set aside the seeds to make a snack:

First, you have to pick the seeds out of the stringy glop, and this takes some patience. After they are separated, the seeds need a final rinse to get off any last bits of pumpkin. Then I spread them out to air dry on towels. (The pumpkin goo goes right into the compost bucket.)

While the seeds are drying, I mixed up a ... dressing? flavor coating? in a bowl. This was 1 egg white, the juice of a small lime, and a teaspoon of olive oil, all whisked together until emulsified. Then stir in 1 tablespoon chili powder, 1/8-1/4 teaspoon of chipotle pepper, 1 teaspoon kosher salt (go light and taste, depending on how much salt is already in your chili powder), and 3-4 big pinches of sugar. 

Add the pumpkin seeds into the mixture and toss with a spoon until coated. I had just over 1 cup of seeds, but this amount of dressing could really cover up to 2 cups of seeds, I think. So ours are quite strongly flavored, but it would definitely be fine (and probably better) to spread the flavor among more seeds so it's not overpowering (like the crumbs at the bottom of a Doritos bag).

Anyway, once coated, the seeds get spread on a parchment-lined baking sheet and roasted in a 350-degree oven for about 20 minutes. I turned them after 10, and then checked them at 20. They needed just a little more crisping up, and I think ours took two more minutes. After 20 minutes, you have to watch them carefully, though – the difference between done and burnt is a matter of just a minute or two.

Once they were cool, I stored them in a small tupperware container, where they should keep for a while since they are thoroughly dried. These are a really yummy snack, though, so I don't expect them to sit around on the counter for very long!