~ This Naturally Sweetened Pot o’ Gold Applesauce is such a fun St. Patrick’s Day snack! It’s quick and easy – and so healthy, too! With natural sweetness from a surprising (golden!) mix-in, your kids will love the luck-o-the-Irish twist, and you’ll love all the great nutrition! ~

This Recipe Is:   •  Ready in 30 Minutes or Less  •  Vegan (and Vegetarian)  •  Gluten Free  •  Paleo  •

Ok, story time!

Once upon a time, there were two cute little kids who were staying at a hotel.

It just so happened that it was St. Patrick’s Day, so when the cute little kids and their parents came back from having breakfast, they found multicolored Twizzlers shaped like rainbows … and Rolos, like tiny pots of gold … left for them by leprechauns (a.k.a. the hotel cleaning staff)!

And the two delighted little kids ate the candy and had a happy, magical St. Patrick’s Day (while their mom despaired that their healthy breakfast had just ended with candy). The end.

Just kidding … we’re not at the end (yet)!

Actually, when that little girl (a.k.a. … ahem … ME) grew up a bit and started food blogging, she wondered if there was any way to have a healthfully magical St. Patrick’s Day treat.

She saw all sorts of cute, rainbow-y recipes. But could any of them actually be good for her? (I mean, let’s face it, there’s probably a reason why leprechauns aren’t often portrayed as svelte, shapely little men.)

The little girl (ME!!!) decided to create her own St. Patrick’s Day treat (a.k.a. this Pot o’ Gold Applesauce).

It was both delicious and healthy, and she lived happily ever after.

The end. (Again.)

Oh … but wait … don’t you want some tips on how to make this? Of course you do! Read on …

Watch Out for Unhealthy Applesauce!

Be really careful when you’re buying applesauce at the grocery store. A surprisingly large amount of the brands and varieties out there contain high-fructose corn syrup. We recommend you simply purchase natural, unsweetened applesauce and add flavorings like cinnamon on your own at home.

Making your own homemade applesauce is a great bet, too, so you know exactly what’s in it (psssst … check out our recipe for Easy Homemade Applesauce).

A Surprising Sweetener

In this recipe, we don’t add any sweetener at all, except for golden raisins. Not only do they look like cute little nuggets of leprechaun gold, but they’re also delicious stirred into the applesauce!

Sort of like an apple cobbler made with apples and raisins – the flavors are perfect together, and even we were really surprised by how much yummy natural sweetness the raisins added to the unsweetened applesauce! No need for any other added sugars at all!

Making Your Tiny Decorative Shamrocks

To make those cute little shamrocks that we used for decoration, cut thin (about 1/4″ – 1/2″) vertical slices of green Granny Smith apples. Then, use a sharp (preferably metal), shamrock-shaped cookie cutter to cut out the shamrocks. Our cookie cutter was about 1 3/4″ which was a perfect size!

You can place your little shamrock apples on top of each pot o’ gold or spread them around alongside. Either way, they’re great for nibbling, and you’ll be surprised how fast a lot of nutritious fruit gets gobbled up!

Magical and healthy, too!

Ok, ok … now this is really the end! THE END! (And Happy St. Patrick’s Day!)

More of Our Fun and Healthy St. Patrick’s Day Recipes …

• Healthier Shamrock Shakes
• Shamrock Veggie Skewers
• Healthier Reuben Dip
• Fruit Rainbow with a Pot of Gold (Fun Kids’ Breakfast)
• Rainbow Ribbon Jell-O