I’m so happy October is here, Autumn is in full swing! And here is my new favourite seasonal snack: little clusters of pumpkin seeds with a vanilla & honey coating.
I wasn’t sure whether to call these “Pumpkin Seed Clusters” or “Autumn Brittle Bites” What do you think?
I don’t think they’re hard enough to be called brittle (and you gotta be hard and tough if you wanna be in the brittle gang) but they are very crunchy and sort of remind me of Clusters cereal.
I love their amazing autumnal colours and eating them reminds me of toffee popcorn… (except these are better and healthier too!)
The clusters are so delicious munchy and sweet and make a great snack or topping for a breakfast cereal.
These are best eaten on the day they are made. I found the (few) leftover ones I had the day after were quite soft, but still tasty!
Just to warn you, once you make these… it’s hard to stop eating them.
Vanilla Pumpkin Seed Clusters
A moreish but healthy snack made with pumpkin seeds
Ingredients
- 115 g ½ cup pumpkin seeds
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 2 tsp maple syrup
- 2 tsp coconut sugar
- Water, boiled
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 150c.
- In a medium bowl, combine the honey, coconut sugar and vanilla. Stir together to create a thick paste then add a small drop of boiled water to thin it out and create a runny syrup.
- Pour in the pumpkin seeds and stir them around in the mixture to evenly coat them.
- Dollop a generous tsp full of the pumpkin seeds onto a baking sheet, repeat until it's all used up and cook for 15-20 minutes until most of the seeds have browned (but don't let them burn!)
- Take out of the oven and leave to cool for a few minutes. Once they've cooled a little (but are still warm) you can press the clusters together to make sure they don't fall apart. They will dry quickly.
- Once they're cooled and dried, they're ready to eat! Enjoy on their own or served on top of your cereal.
Nutrition Information
Yield 30Amount Per Serving Calories 25Carbohydrates 1gProtein 1g
Caitlin Narwold says
Hi there! If I’m taking pumpkin seeds directly from the pumpkin, do I have to dry the seeds first before I make this? They’re coated with slim. ;)
Liz says
Did you make these? We just got the seeds from our pumpkin and am wondering if I have to take the shells off of the seed or if I can keep it on, straight from pumpkin.
Caitlin Narwold says
Yes, I made them. They were delicious! No, you don’t need to take the shells off. I got mine straight out of a pumpkin too, and I just made sure the pumpkin was off of the seeds, and I washed and patted them off before starting this recipe.
I’d recommend using some parchment paper, otherwise the seeds stick to the pan, and it’s really hard to scrape off.
SPaul says
Tried these today. Made them without the coconut sugar as I don’t like things to sweet. LOVE THEM! Don’t stick together to well though. Will try again with the coconut sugar as I don’t think they will be too sweet.
Andrew Huang says
Does this work without any powdered sugar (just maple syrup or honey)?
Beverly says
Am I missing something? The ingredients list maple syrup, but the method says to mix with honey? I can’t see honey anywhere here.
Nicole says
Do you have any storage suggestions? I would like to make some to have on hand?
Aimee says
Hi Nicole, if I remember correctly these don’t store too well as they begin to go soft. Perhaps you could try heating the clusters some more on a low heat in the oven, to “dry” them out.
Angela says
How do you get it to stick together? To form a cluster?
Jill B says
Just made these for our 8hr road trip tomorrow with my husband and 2 smalls. oh i can see these going very quick. They are so good. I used a bit of water on my hands (cold) to press them together as they kept sticking. Also i read the recipe wrong and made a batch 4 times bigger then stated ( baby brain is my excuse) NOW i am glad i did!
Vicky says
Absolutely love this recipe and just shared it on my blog in a Friday Foodie Fave post where I share my favorite recipes finds from around the web.
Keri says
Am I missing something? How does 1/2 cup of pumpkin seeds make 30 servings?
Aimee says
Hi Keri :-) 30 servings = 30 clutsers. It’s just an approximation of how many it will make. On average, about 250 pumpkin seeds make up 1/2 cup, so 250 seeds / 30 clusters = 8 seeds per clusters. Assuming you had exactly 250 seeds! Of course, the cluster sizes vary and so do the amount of seeds so it could be from 20-40. I happened to have about 30 from my batch. Hope that helps, sorry for the probably over-complicated answer… Anyway, if you try them let me know how you get on (and how many you end up with!)
Keri says
Thanks Aimee for your quick response! I used a tbsp to portion them out and I got 5 clusters. Maybe my seeds are bigger? They are tasty and I will be making them again!
Aimee says
That’s great to hear! I am surprised you only got 5 though, I will have to make them again soon and see how many I get this time… I’ll make any amendments if needed :-) Thanks Keri!
Mary says
Love the looks of this! Yum! Wondering what the heck coconut sugar is? And, these are pepitas, correct? The inside seed. I can buy them bulk, salted and unsalted. Thinking salted would be best. Thoughts?
Thanks so much! Love your beautiful pics, too!
Aimee says
Thanks Mary! Coconut sugar is sometimes also known as palm sugar – it can be found in most health food stores or some asian supermarkets. It’s a healthy sugar with a caramel taste but if you can’t get hold of it – brown sugar will work just fine :-)
These are seeds from a pumpkin and they must be raw and unsalted for this recipe to work. Hope that helps!
Kristi @ Inspiration Kitchen says
I am not sure how I missed these, but they look completely amazing and addictive! I can imagine making a batch and then eating ALL of them! Great recipe!
Aimee says
Thanks Kristi! They are super addictive but you don’t feel bad about gorging on them because they are pretty healthy ;-)
Betsy Thiede says
Oh, sorry, I saw at the top, it says 30.. So sorry..
Aimee says
No problem! :-)
Betsy Thiede says
Wondering how many clusters it makes? As it says 1 g carb per cluster..
Denise says
What can I use in place of coconut sugar???
Would love to make these!
Thanks A Bunch!
Aimee says
Hi Denise :-) You could use brown sugar or really any sugar of your choice! I just chose coconut sugar because it’s a slightly healthier option with a caramel taste.
Tamzin says
Love! Pumpkin seeds are my favourite so this just makes me very happy!
Aimee says
I’m glad! :-)
Kate Veggie Desserts says
These look stunning. I’ll definitely be making them this weekend.
Aimee says
I might have to make them again too. Let me know how they turn out if you try them Kate :-)
Samina | The Cupcake Confession says
I loveeee snacking on pumpkin seeds and I absolutely love toffee popcorn! Every time I go to the cinema, I make sure that’s the popcorn I get for myself! Imagine combining the two!!!! I am lovinggggggg these!!!!! They are sooo cute!!! I have a jar full of pumpkin seeds. I AM MAKING THESE!!!!! :)
Aimee says
I hope you do get to make them :D let me know how they turn out if you do!
Pamela @ Brooklyn Farm Girl says
Always in love with new ways to use pumpkin seeds, loving these cluster snacks!
Aimee says
Thanks Pamela!
Helen The good life mum says
sorry but i have totally ninjared this one too i just bought a big bag of pumpkin seeds for something else but now im making these as they sound truly wonderful i have also pinned it in my fav recipe section
Aimee says
I love your word inventions. “Ninjad” is fabulous! Let me know how they turn out if you make them. I might make them again too, got some pumpkin seeds leftover…
Carrie says
Do you use raw pumpkin seeds? Like fresh out of the pumpkin?? Looking for a new recipe to make with the seeds we get after carving our pumpkins this Halloween. They look yummy!!
Aimee says
I used packaged raw pumpkin seeds but you absolutely could use the seeds from a fresh pumpkin, would be a great way to make use of them! I would give them a good wash first to make sure all the flesh is removed from the seeds. Hope you get to try them out!
Lisa H. says
Addictive :). Love the clusters, I’d happily finish the whole tray ;)
Your autumn, my Spring :) but definitely not looking forward to summer here. Its hot and zillions of flies :(
Aimee says
Did you make some Lisa?? Spring is a lovely time of year too, Summer is the only season I don’t like! I too hate the flies, plus all the allergies I get…
veganmiam.com says
This looks like the perfect thing to rescue me from the freezing cold outside and makes me remember that yes, I actually do love autumn! Such beautiful clusters, Aimee!
Aimee says
Is it really cold of there at the moment? Today was actually quite mild over here, strangely! But anyway, I hope you get to try these :-) what would you use instead of honey, out of interest? Agave, maple syrup?
veganmiam.com says
I was going to mention about the ingredient – but I knew it would be an easy vegan substitution – I always use maple syrup instead of honey. I am not too fond of agave, it isn’t as sweet as “honey.”
It is about 12-15 C here, does it seem cold? In the evenings, it feels like 8-10 C with the gusty winds.
Aimee says
I don’t use agave much anymore either, maple syrup is one of my favourite sweeteners, definitely!
Hmm, seems it’s actually a tad bit warmer in England, that’s global warming for you… Saying that, there’s a weather warning for flash floods today – eek! Nonetheless, hope you have a cosy Autumn day :-)
Katie brigstock says
these look like such a delicious snack! I l’m really looking forward to the start of some great autumnal ingredients!
katie x
Aimee says
Autumn cooking is just bliss!
Consuelo @ Honey & Figs says
These look seriously addictive! I have all of the ingredients on hand, so I’m going to give them a try later this evening ;-)
Aimee says
Oh yay! I hope you get to try them! I need to make some more now, I have a craving ;-)