It may still be 100 degrees here in California, but I’m pretending that it’s fall! I am ready for soups, stews, hot cocoa, all things pumpkin, and to NOT BE HOT anymore! Delicata squash are a really special treat. They are not in stores or at farmer’s markets for very long, so I always snatch them up as soon as I see them! My mother in law, who is an absolutely wonderful person and cook, told me about this trick for roasting them and holy heck. They are incredible! And here’s the very best part…it’s so unbelievably easy. With my husband working some crazy hours these days, I am ALL about easy. Most of the heartier squashes require peeling and a lot of cutting, but these are different. They cook well with the skin on, and the seeds come out very easily. And my kids devour these. Can’t beat that! I also love when blogs show me step by step directions, so I’m going to do that for you today! My kids were oddly cooperative and self entertaining this afternoon, so it worked out in your favor. You can thank them next time you see them!

Here’s what you need…

• 2 delicata squash – try to find ones that are the same size and not really thick in the middle
• 1/4 cup melted coconut oil
• 1 teaspoon sea salt
• 1 tablespoon coconut sugar or maple syrup

Instructions

1. Grab your delicata squashes and rinse any dirt off. Then barely cut off the ends and cut them in half length wise.

2. Then you’ll scoop out the seeds with a spoon. Should just take one swipe for them to come out.

3. Cut them into half moon shapes about 1/2 inch thick.

4. Place them on a baking sheet that has been covered with parchment paper.

5. Use a pastry brush and coat the squash with coconut oil. Don’t be stingy! You want them to be really oiled up!

6. Sprinkle the salt on all of the squash evenly from about a foot up followed by the coconut sugar. If you want a good caramelized flavor, feel free to use a good amount of sugar!

7. Put them in the oven for 40 minutes at 350 degrees then broil them for 2-4 minutes depending on how crispy you want the outside. But make sure to keep an eye on them and pull them out if they start to burn at all! Pull them out of the oven when they’re done and let them cool for about 10 minutes.

These go great with a marinated flank steak and salad! Yum! And while you’re using a spatula to get them off of the baking sheet, there might be some coconut sugar and oil goodness that gets caked on the spatula. Then it might dry while you’re eating dinner. Then you might come back to it after dinner, and it might be like a hard sugar candy. It would probably be weird if you tried to lick and bite off every single bit of that caramelized goodness, so you probably shouldn’t do that. Cause that would just be weird. You know?

Hope you guys enjoy these! Our family sure does!