Pumpkin Seeds are one of the world’s healthiest foods. They are incredibly nutrient dense. 100 grams of pumpkin seeds offer around 20g of protein!! In case you were wondering, you need 0.8 grams per kilogram body weight. In my case 100 grams of pumpkin seeds would cover almost 50% of my daily requirements!!! They are also very rich in minerals, with 100 grams you cover your daily requirements for Copper, Magnesium, Manganese and Phosphorus. Now, the iron content is reported differently all over the web ranging from anywhere between 8g to 15g of iron per 100 grams pumpkin seeds. No matter what it ends up being for your specific pumpkin seeds, this is a huge amount of iron and a head to head competitor for liver (which is not so much my favorite). Because of its iron content it is a very important part of our diet. We rarely just nibble on 100 grams in one sitting. This is a lot of pumpkin seeds, but I try to sprinkle a little on whatever we have for breakfast or offer a small hand full as snack or put them in yoghurt OR I make Pumpkin Seed Macaroons and Bibbidi-Boobbidi-GONE are 85 grams of pumpkin seeds and 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter which is also very high on all the aforementioned minerals plus selenium and zinc and doing pretty good in the iron department.
These flourless, gluten-free, nut-free, dairy-free, egg-free, refined sugar-free (what?!?) Pumpkin Seed Macaroons are not only extremely nutrient dense they are also delicious AND daycare approved because they don’t contain any nuts. They are easy to make and a super healthy yummy snack. My kids eat them as if it was chocolate and soon mommy was going to come to reason and take them away. My daughter will stick another one in her mouth before even having swallowed the one she had in her mouth. Mind you though that they contain 3 Tablespoons of honey and for the day you plan on making and eating them you might want to cut back on any other added sugar or natural sweetener in your other foods to keep the sweetness limited. Your teeth, hips and belly will thank you.
Pumpkin Seed Macaroons
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup pumpkin seeds - 85g
- 1/4 cup sunflower seed butter
- 3 Tbsp raw honey
- 1.5 Tbsp chia seeds
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 250 F (120 °C).
- Put pumpkin seeds in food processor and process to flour.
- Add sunflower seed butter, honey and chia seeds and process until homogenous dough forms. (a good blender might work as well if you don't have a food processor, make sure to scrape down the sides every once in a while, turning the blender off before moving in with a spatula of course)
- Take a half a teaspoon measuring spoon and fill with dough and then tap onto a baking paper lined baking sheet to get the shape of the macaroons. You can eat them raw like this or:
- Bake for 20 minutes, take out of the oven an let cool down completely before touching or moving. They will harden while cooling down.
Enjoy with some sort of vitamin C rich fruit like berries or citrus fruit for optimal iron absorption and extra yumminess!
Why did I take only one picture of so little Pumpkin Seed Macaroons you ask? Sorry, the rest didn’t make it to the photo shoot. I had to constantly take away little fingers from the frame….day in a life of a mommy food blogger, ya know!
OH! OH! And….today is my Birthday….so….Happy Birthday to ME :)
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Cindy says
These were the funniest little “gems!” When I looked at the dough, I wasn’t expecting much. After cooling, I tasted one & thought “mmm not bad.” So I had another and another and another! They are kind of addictive!! I ate 8 with some cold almond milk. Thank you! :)
Zrinka says
Can you use coconut butter instead of sunflower one?
Lorena says
I’m afraid that won’t work. Coconut butter is higher in fat and lower in fiber. Any nutbutter will definitely work though. Almond, Cashew, Hazelnut and even Peanut Butter.
el says
How long do these last in or out of the refrigerator?
Do they keep for car travel?
Lorena says
In the fridge probably a week. On the counter in an air-tight container I’d say about 3 days. Car travel shouldn’t be a problem at all. Just put them in an airtight container and you’re good to go. Keep in the shade if possible of course.