Resurrection Rolls are an easy yet fun and meaningful family tradition that teaches the story of the empty tomb that’s found on Easter! Made in less than 30 minutes using only 5 ingredients!
Teach and share the message of Easter by making these Easy Resurrection Rolls during Holy Week or even on Easter Sunday! They take minimal time to make yet teach an important message in a way that kids (and adults!) can easily understand!
You want to get the kids into the kitchen for this Easter recipe! As you walk them through the true meaning of Easter, their little hands are busy rolling their marshmallow in melted butter and cinnamon sugar before wrapping them in a crescent roll.
After they bake, you’ll love the excitement on their face as they open up their crescent roll and witness the empty tomb in this object lesson!
Use this Recipe for Resurrection Rolls to teach the story of Easter
Along with Christmas, Easter is another meaningful holiday for Christians because it celebrates the resurrection of Christ. After Christ was crucified, Jesus’ body was prepared for burial with spices, perfumes, and white linen and placed in a sealed tomb.
Three days later, people visited His tomb and found it empty, just as the Bible said it would be. The empty tomb fulfills God’s promise to send a savior that conquers death.
“He has risen, just as He said” (Matthew 28:6)
Since these Resurrection Rolls turn up empty inside at the end of baking, they perfectly demonstrate a visual of the empty tomb in the story of the resurrection.
Resurrection Rolls Story
- Marshmallows – The marshmallow symbolizes Jesus’ body as it’s prepped for burial and then tucked safely in the tomb (crescent roll). Once the rolls have been baked, the marshmallow inside the roll melts, disappearing and giving us an empty tomb!
- Cinnamon Sugar Coating and Melted Butter – Before burial, Jesus’ body was washed and then anointed with oils and spices. Therefore, in this recipe, we coat the marshmallow in melted butter and then roll it in cinnamon sugar to mirror the process that Jesus’ body went through before being closed in the tomb.
- Crescent Roll – In the story of the Resurrection, Jesus’ body is placed in a tomb with a rock blocking the only way out. However, three days later, the tomb was found empty, symbolizing Jesus had risen; He was alive! To symbolize the tomb in these Resurrection Rolls, we use a crescent roll, tightly tucking the marshmallow inside of it.
Resurrection Rolls Recipe Ingredients
- crescent rolls
- salted butter
- light brown sugar
- ground cinnamon
- regular marshmallows
This resurrection roll recipe is made with just 5 simple ingredients. Allowing you to focus more on sharing the story of the resurrection and less on the recipe!
To make the rolls, you’ll first need large marshmallows. I found that the Jet-Puffed brand worked best, but feel free to try this recipe with whatever brand you already have.
Finishing off the list of ingredients is a can of crescent rolls, melted salted butter, light brown sugar, and ground cinnamon.
How To Make Resurrection Rolls
- While making this recipe, you’ll see that each step can be pointed back to the resurrection story. To prepare, first, preheat the oven and line the baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Then, open the can of crescent rolls and pull each triangle apart at the perforated line. Melt the butter while you combine the light brown sugar and ground cinnamon in a small bowl.
- Once the prep work is set up, everyone can take a marshmallow which represents Jesus throughout this edible lesson.
First, the marshmallow is dipped in the melted butter and then rolled in the sweet cinnamon sugar coating. The preparation of the marshmallow is similar to Jesus’s friends preparing his body for burial.
Next, wrap each marshmallow in one crescent roll triangle. Be sure to tightly seal it to help prevent the marshmallow from seeping out.
Last, transfer them to the oven to bake, and then open up the empty tomb!
Variations of Empty Tomb Rolls
- Muffin Tin – Instead of baking these Easter Rolls on a baking sheet, you can bake them in a muffin tin. This will help the rolls to bake up in more of a tomb shape.
- Dinner Rolls – This recipe can work with any frozen or refrigerated dinner roll dough. I just chose crescent dough since it seemed easy for little hands to work with, and I typically have a can on hand.
- Sugar – Instead of making the cinnamon sugar mixture with light brown sugar, you can use granulated sugar. Either way, these Easter Resurrection rolls will be a sweet treat!
- Icing – Feel free to use icing to top these Easter Tomb Rolls with a cross. Or you can color the icing with easter colors and let the kids decorate the rolls with the icing and sprinkles!
Resurrection Roll Recipe Tips
- Set Up Ahead – I find it’s easiest to have a teachable moment about the resurrection of Jesus if I set this recipe up before calling the kids to the table. I melt the butter, prepare the cinnamon sugar, separate the crescent dough into triangles, and arrange it in order on the table within their reach. This preparation allows us all to focus on the process with listening ears while I explain the resurrection step by step.
- Marshmallow Brand – I have found that the Jet-Puffed brand of marshmallows works best for melting and disappearing perfectly inside the crescent rolls. Other brands seem to leave some traces of marshmallows behind, and I’ve found the kids have a great deal of excitement when the crescent rolls are empty, just like Jesus’ tomb!
- Tightly Seal The Dough – To prevent any marshmallow from accidentally leaking out, it’s important to get a good seal on the dough around the marshmallow. I’d recommend pinching the dough together to give it a good seal. If you’re concerned about leakage, you can double the recipe by wrapping two triangles of dough around one marshmallow. This will require a longer cooking time and deliver a bit more of a doughy roll, which some may enjoy!
- Bake Time – The longer these Resurrection Rolls bake, the more of the marshmallow disappears! To ensure that all of the marshmallows have disappeared when opening them up, bake the rolls for 12 to 13 minutes. However, if you want to see a little marshmallow left, you can bake them for around 10 minutes.
This Resurrection Roll Recipe make for the perfect Easter Tradition
These Empty Tomb Rolls are the perfect addition to your Easter family traditions! They’re truly a lesson that can grow with your child.
If they’re younger, you can begin with a softer approach that’s more child-friendly and on their learning level. Then, as they grow older, you can really dive into scripture, sparking deeper conversation.
Since they’re made with minimal ingredients in under 30 minutes while carrying a powerful message, it’s certainly a tradition worth sharing with your children or grandchildren!
How to store Tomb Rolls
Store any leftover Homemade Resurrection rolls in an airtight container at room temperature. Leftovers can then be enjoyed for up to 3 days.
Resurrection Bread FAQs
The longer these Empty Tomb Rolls bake, the more the marshmallow will disappear. Since we prefer them a little less golden at around 10 minutes of baking time, there ends up being a little marshmallow left.
However, you can bake them for 12 to 13 minutes, and the marshmallow should be completely gone with more of a golden-brown roll.
This typically happens when little hands help prepare this recipe, which is okay! To prevent the marshmallow from seeping out, try to pinch the seams in the dough together around the marshmallow to get a good seal.
You can also double the crescent roll dough so that you can wrap each marshmallow with two triangles. This helps prevent marshmallows from leaking out. However, it will require a longer cooking time.
Using two crescent rolls per marshmallow also results in a doughier roll, which some may enjoy!
Turn to the book of John in the Bible, and you’ll find the full story of the resurrection of Christ in chapters 19 and 20.
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Resurrection Rolls
Ingredients
- 1 (8 ct) can crescent rolls
- ¼ cup salted butter melted
- 2 tablespoons light brown sugar packed
- 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon
- 8 regular marshmallows Jet-Puffed works best
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F and like a baking sheet with parchment paper and set aside.
- Open 1 (8 ct) can crescent rolls and pull the perforated triangles apart. Set aside.
- Melt ¼ cup salted butter in the microwave.
- Mix 2 tablespoons light brown sugar and 2 teaspoons ground cinnamon together in a small prep bowl.
- Dip the 8 regular marshmallows, one at a time, in the butter, then into the cinnamon sugar mixture. Place the marshmallow on its side on the wide end of one of the triangular pieces of dough. Tuck in the ends of the crescent rolls, pinching a bit to seal, then roll up the rest of the dough around the marshmallow as you would when making a crescent roll. Pinch to seal to prevent the marshmallow from seeping out while cooking.
- Place the rolls on the prepared baking sheet and then bake for 10 to 13 minutes, rotating halfway through, until the rolls are golden brown and baked enough to tap.
Notes
- You may experience some of the marshmallow seeping out, this happens when the dough is not sealed enough – very common when kids help prepare this recipe.
- This recipe can be made by doubling the dough and wrapping each marshmallow in two triangles. This helps prevent leaking marshmallows but does require a longer cook time and results in a more doughy roll – which some may enjoy more.
- Granulated sugar can be used in place of light brown sugar in this recipe.
- The longer these rolls bake, the more of the marshmallow disappears. We like them a little less golden (around 10 minutes of bake time) when there’s still a little marshmallow left. But if you bake for 12 to 13 minutes, the marshmallow should be completely gone, and the rolls will be more golden brown.
Nutrition
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Comments & Reviews
juliet says
Most helpful EVER!!!!!
Carol says
My girls loved making these Resurrection rolls while learning the story of Easter in a hands-on way that’s fun & tasty for them! Definitely will be something we do every year.