Pumpkin Skin Chips

When those leaves start going red and orange and fireplaces come back into action, you know it's time for pumpkins. I mean who doesn't love a delicious roast pumpkin or a cinnamon-y pumpkin latte or a glorious pumpkin pie?

Fire places, candle lights and crisp morning air. You know it must be fall! And with fall comes our favourite vegetable that also happens to be featured in so many delicious desserts and of course also makes a presence during halloween. PUMPKINS!

During this time of year, especially closer to the end of October (Halloween) so many of us are buying pumpkins, whether that be a pumpkin to carve or one to turn into a glorious pumkin pie. But of course with pumkin season comes a LOT of waste.

Yep, you know what i'm talking about, not all of the pumkin makes the cut, we turn the flesh into roasts or purees for desserts and maybe the seeds into a yummy snack. But what about the skin? I mean there is a lot of it, right?

I decided to make use of my pumkin skins this year, and this is how you can do it too.

PUMPKIN. CINNAMON. MAPLE. - You know it has to be good

So next time you grab a pumpkin for that pumkin pie, don't toss out that skin, instead turn it into something delicious. After all, it's never a bad idea to turn waste into treasure.

Ingredients For the Chips:

• 1/3 Pumpkin (I used a kent pumpkin because it's skin isn't as thick as other varieties)
• 1 tsp Cinnamon to taste (optional but highly recommended)
• 1 tbs Maple syrup (optional but recommended)

Cinnamon Maple Dip to Serve (optional):

• 1/2 cup whipped cream
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 tbs maple syrup
• 1-2 Pecans

To start off remove the seeds from the centre of a washed pumpkin, this can be done using a spoon, (use these seedsto make another great snack!).

If you're using a whole pumkin now is the time to cut it, ideally one pumpkin will be cut into about four pieces, you can also cut it in half, it'll just take a little longer in the oven. Pop it onto a lined tray and into the oven for 50-60 minutes or until the flesh is completely cooked.

Next, you'll want to carefully scoop out all the pumkin with a spoon, trying to leave the skin in one piece, you can use this pumkin flesh into a puree to use in any other delicious pumkin treat.

Now that you've got all that beautiful pumpkin flesh out, you can easily slice it into the shape you want (see tip), I cut mine into rectangles which were roughly 1x3 inches.

*TOP TIP: Make sure to cut your chips double the size you want them to end up as they shrink quite a bit in the oven.

Now, pop them into your air-fryer at 360F/180C for 10-15 minutes or until they are crisp, you can also pop them into the oven on a tray lined with parchment paper at 180C/360F for 10-15 minutes.

I decided to make a sweet dip to go alongside my chips! To do this add your whipped cream to a small bowl and top with maple syrup and cinnamon if you want. Super quick and easy!

And finally, once you hear that timer buzz you can remove the chips from the oven/airfryer and plate them up (if there are any left).

I decided to top mine with a generous dash of cinnamon and maple syrup and served with my dip.

If you're more of a savoury chip person, go ahead and top these with a pinch of salt and your favourite spice mix.

I'd recommend paprika, cayanne and garlic powder, definetly a great way to warm up on a chilly evening.