Things You'll Need
2 to 3 tbsp. barbeque sauce
1-lb. bag unsalted sunflower seeds
Large mixing bowl
Wooden spoon
Non-stick cookie sheet
Plastic pancake turner
Large serving bowl
Super Bowl snack foods such as barbeque-flavored sunflower seeds take a little extra preparation ahead of time, but they don't need much attention once you place the bowls on your coffee table or buffet. You can use this same recipe to make barbeque-flavored sesame sticks, toasted soybeans, peanuts or pretzel nuggets as well. Your guests preschool through school-age children can prepare these with assistance from an older teen or adult if they attend the party.
Step 1
Pour the sunflower seeds into a large mixing bowl and add 2 to 3 tbsp. barbeque sauce. Stir with a wooden spoon until all the seeds are coated. Do not use more sauce, although you may be tempted to do so, or your seeds will not dry out enough in the oven.
Video of the Day
Step 2
Spread the sauce-coated sunflower seeds on a non-stick cookie sheet in a single layer. Bake at 225 degrees Fahrenheit until they appear dry.
Step 3
Remove the seeds from the oven. Loosen the seeds with a pancake turner and stir them around.
Step 4
Return the sunflower seeds to the oven to bake for another five minutes.
Step 5
Loosen the seeds again and scrape them into a large serving bowl.
Tip
If you dry your own sunflower seeds, University of Georgia, Athens Extension Food Specialists, Elizabeth L. Andress. Ph.D. and Judy A. Harrison, Ph.D., suggest covering the flower heads with cheesecloth and letting the seeds dry in the sun. If you want salted barbeque-flavored sunflower seeds, Backwoods Home Magazine columnist Jackie Clay suggests making brine with 1 cup barbecue-flavored salt to 2 cups water, bringing it to a rolling boil until the salt dissolves. Stir the seeds into the brine before placing them on cookie sheets and baking as before. Ruth Burkhardt, owner of the website All About Food, has links to over 30 different barbeque sauce recipes if you want to use homemade sauce.
Video of the Day