How to Make Resurrection Rolls

The Resurrection Story. Resurrection Rolls. The True Meaning of Easter.

Everyone loves Christmas. (Or at least most people!) But what about Easter? Without the resurrection of Easter, there would be no reason for Christmas. Without the resurrection, Christianity would have no reason to exist.

Think about it. Almost every religion had a founder or leader who was born and then later died. Biblical Christianity is different! True, Jesus was born miraculously, and he did die. But even how he died is not historically unique. What makes Biblical Christianity different is that Jesus Christ rose from the dead. He did not die and stay in that tomb, he rose again, became alive again, and today sits at the right hand of God the Father in heaven.

Now that, my friends, is something to get excited about! That is something to celebrate! That separates Biblical Christianity from every other religion the world has ever known.

We need to teach our children the true meaning of Easter. Easter bunnies are cute, Easter baskets are fun, and Easter egg hunts are great, but none of those represent the true meaning of Easter.

Try using this fun activity with your kids to teach them the real meaning of Easter:  Make Resurrection Rolls.

Resurrection Rolls illustrate how Jesus’ body was anointed in oils and then buried in the tomb. And after a short time, a lesson about how Jesus’ body was no longer in the grave! He arose; his body was no longer there in that empty tomb!

What You Need to Make Resurrection Rolls

• 1 Tube of canned crescent rolls
• 8 marshmallows
• ¼ cup of butter or margarine, melted
• ¼ cup sugar
• 1 Tablespoon cinnamon
• Parchment paper (optional but worth using)
• Cookie sheet

How to Make Resurrection Rolls

Preheat your oven to 375°

Cover your cookie sheet with parchment paper.

In a small bowl, combine the cinnamon and sugar.

In a small, microwave-safe bowl, melt the butter.

Open your tube of crescent rolls and carefully separate them into individual triangles.

Take one marshmallow, coat it in melted butter, then coat it in the cinnamon and sugar mixture. Place the marshmallow on one of the crescent roll triangles.

Carefully roll the crescent roll triangle around the marshmallow, from the wide end to the point. Tuck the sides of the dough around and under the rolled-up marshmallow. KEY POINT: Carefully seal every opening in the dough!

Place the rolled-up dough and marshmallow on your baking sheet.

Repeat the previous steps with each of the remaining triangles of crescent roll dough.

Place cookie sheet in your preheated oven and bake for 9 to 13 minutes, or until dough is nicely browned.

Remove from the oven. Let cool for a couple of minutes before eating. Notice – the marshmallow is gone! (Just like Jesus’ body was no longer in the tomb.)

The Illustration or Object Lesson of the Resurrection Rolls

Resurrection Rolls are an illustration or an object lesson about the resurrection of Jesus on Easter morning. How does that work? Just like this:

The marshmallow represents the body of Jesus.

The melted butter and the cinnamon-sugar mixture represent the oil and spices used to prepare bodies for burial.

The crescent roll dough illustrates the tomb where some of Jesus’ followers placed his body.

The cooking time represents the three days Jesus’s body was in the grave.

When you cut open a baked Resurrection Roll, the marshmallow is gone. Just like, when the women and the disciples came to the tomb that Sunday morning, they found that Jesus’ body was no longer there in the tomb. He had risen! (Of course, your marshmallow did not “rise from the dead,” but it did melt and is no longer there in “the tomb.”)

What Bible Passages Talk about the Resurrection of Christ?

Several passages of Scripture give the account of the burial and resurrection. You can read through any or all of these:

Also, see I Corinthians 15:3-4

Teaching our children about the death, burial, and resurrection of Christ is among the most important things we can teach them. So, make some Resurrection Rolls and give your children a memorable learning experience!

Notes and Comments:

Unless you thoroughly enjoy scrubbing melted and baked sugar off cookie sheets, use parchment paper!

The more carefully you seal your dough when you wrap it around the marshmallow, the less “filling” will leak out as your treats bake. Mine leaked. Sorry!

Stale marshmallows will work! (But they made need to bake a bit longer to ensure that they fully melt. Don’t ask how I know this!)

You can mix together some of the leftover melted butter and cinnamon mixture and brush this over the tops of your rolls before baking.

Have a wonderful Easter!