One fun and meaningful activity that my family does every year during Easter is to make Resurrection Rolls. This post shares a quick run down of several different ways to make this special and yummy breakfast/snack with your family. It is one of the Holy Saturday activities for kids listed in the post Holy Week Activities for All Ages.
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So what are Resurrection Rolls?
Resurrection rolls are an easy, fun-to-make treat that help tell the story of Jesus’ resurrection as recorded in the Bible. Kids learn best with hands-on experiences that drive home the point of the lesson, whatever it may be. And what child doesn’t love cooking and baking??
Each step in the process corresponds to a part of the story. For the bread-and-marshmallow-based recipes, the marshmallow represents Jesus’ body. The bread stands for the grave wrappings. The cinnamon and sugar serve as representations of the burial spices. Baking in the oven, signifies Jesus’ burial in the tomb. While cooking, the marshmallow melts, leaving a hole in the bread. If wrapped well, the hole won’t be obvious until the child bites into it. This represents Jesus’ resurrection. His body was in the tomb, but now it’s gone. Jesus has risen! These basic correlations go along with each of the methods listed below with some minor differences depending on the recipe. It is such a great object lesson. And it’s yummy too!
Some years we just talk about the story of Christ’s resurrection as we make our rolls. Other years, we read a scripture to go along with each step. I will include the correlating object lesson plan at the bottom of this post.
If we don’t make Resurrection Rolls around Easter, my kids plan a mutiny! They make sure I never forget. Our family has been making them for quite a few years now. I have tried many different methods and recipes. We definitely have our favorite ways to make these delicious treats. I’m going to share several methods we have tried. Hopefully, one of these will work well for your family!
Canned Biscuit or Crescent Roll Recipe
Supplies:
- Canned biscuits or canned crescent rolls. Amount depends on how many rolls you want to make. Each biscuit or crescent roll makes one resurrection roll.
- Large marshmallows
- Toothpicks, candy sticks, or forks
- Melted butter
- Cinnamon and sugar mixture (1 tsp of cinnamon mixes well with 1/2 cup of sugar)
Instructions:
- Preheat the oven as instructed on the dough package.
- Open the can and separate the dough. If crescent rolls, one triangle is good as is. If biscuits, then spilt each biscuit in half (separating top from bottom), and work the dough to spread it out a little larger.
- Insert the toothpick/candy stick/fork into a marshmallow and dip into the melted butter.
- Next, roll the buttered marshmallow around in the cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- Place the marshmallow onto the dough. If using crescent rolls, roll it around the marshmallow being sure to pinch all the sides closed. If using biscuits, place the marshmallow on one of the halves of biscuit, set the other half on top, and pinch the edges all the way around so that there is no opening.
- Place completed roll onto cookie sheet. I definitely recommend using parchment paper or these fantastic silicone baking mats on your cookie sheet. There undoubtedly will be melted marshmallow on your pan (little fingers don’t always get all the holes pinched up completely). It can get hard to get them off the pan as they cool (and clean up is much easier with the parchment paper/baking mat too).
- Bake as directed on package. Marshmallow will “disappear” as it bakes, leaving behind a hole in the bread.
From Scratch Biscuit Resurrection Rolls Recipe
I found this recipe over on Coleen’s Recipes and adapted it for a cooking-themed birthday party for one of my kids. It turned out great! I especially love that each kid gets to do “all” the mixing and baking by themselves.
Psst!! I have a post about themed birthday parties for kids too! Check it out! More added all the time.
Supplies:
This is the ingredient list per person. The recipe makes approximately 2 biscuits.
- Mixing bowl and utensils for each person.
-
1 cup all purpose flour (I have substituted 3/4 gluten free all purpose mix, and it works just as well.)
-
2 1/2 teaspoons baking powder
-
1 teaspoon sugar
-
1/2 teaspoon salt
-
1/8 teaspoon cream of tartar
-
1/4 cup COLD butter
- 1/2 cup milk
- Toothpicks, candy sticks, or forks
- Large marshmallows
- Melted butter
- Cinnamon and sugar mixture (1 tsp of cinnamon mixes well with 1/2 cup of sugar)
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 400*.
- Mix all dry ingredients.
- Cut butter into small cubes and mix into flour mixture until texture is crumbly.
- Add wet ingredients and stir until just moistened.
- Flour a workspace and knead. Dough will gradually become less sticky.
- Separate dough into 4 even balls. Flatten balls out to big enough to encase a marshmallow.
- Place toothpick/candy stick/fork into marshmallow and dip into melted butter.
- Roll dipped marshmallow in cinnamon/sugar mixture.
- Place coated marshmallow onto one of the flattened biscuits and place another on top.
- Pinch sides all the way around to seal holes.
- Place on parchment paper or baking mat on cookie sheet. There undoubtedly will be melted marshmallow on your pan (little fingers don’t always get all the holes pinched up completely). It can get hard to get them off the pan as they cool (and clean up is much easier with the parchment paper/baking mat too).
- Bake 12-15 min or until gold in color. Marshmallow will “disappear” as it bakes, leaving a hole inside to represent the empty tomb.
- These will be delicious! Enjoy.
Resurrection Meringue Cookies
This recipe requires a little more work. It makes a crunchy meringue cookie with a hollow inside. It is more of a dessert than breakfast because of its super sweetness. The original for this recipe came from Around My Family Table. I’ve adapted it here.
A stand mixer is amazing for this recipe. I love my Kitchen Aid stand mixer. I use it all the time. And for everything. They can be pricey but are so worth it. And a good one will last forever.
Supplies:
- 1 cup whole pecans (I leave these out due to nut allergies in my family.)
- 1 teaspoon vinegar
- 3 egg whites
- 1 pinch salt
- 1 cup sugar
Instructions:
- Preheat oven to 300*.
- Break up pecans into small pieces.
- Put all ingredients but nuts into the mixing bowl.
- Beat on high for 12-15 minutes or until stiff peaks form in meringue.
- Fold in nuts.
- Place by spoonfuls onto cookie sheet.
- Turn oven off and place cookie sheet inside.
- Leave over night.
- In the morning, the cookies will be hardened. A bite will reveal a hollow inside. Fun!
These cookies are fun to make and are neat to see. However, my kids were not fond of the taste and wouldn’t eat them. The recipe makes a lot of cookies. I ended up taking the batch to church Easter morning to share with the kids there.
Object Lessons for Resurrection Rolls
This lesson is for the first two bread-based recipes with marshmallows.
Begin by telling kids that today you are going to make Resurrection Rolls together as a way to represent the Good News of Jesus being alive.
The marshmallow is going to stand for Jesus’ body. When people died during Bible times, their bodies would be wrapped in spices and special perfumes. We’re going to take our marshmallows and roll them in spices to symbolize what they did to Jesus’ body after He died on the cross.
People were often buried in tombs which were like caves. We’re going to put the marshmallow inside the dough. This is like Jesus’ body being placed inside the tomb.
Pilate the ruler had the tomb sealed up tight so Jesus’ friends couldn’t come steal His body away. Make sure you pinch the sides up really tight!
Next, we’re going to put our rolls in the oven. The time waiting for them to cook is like the time that Jesus’ friends waited after Jesus died. They had been traveling, learning, and working with Jesus. Suddenly, they had nothing to do. They were sad. They missed their teacher and friend.
Let’s get our rolls out the oven! Do you notice anything about them? Let’s take a bite. What happened to the marshmallow? It’s gone! After three days, Jesus rose from the dead. His body was no longer in the tomb. He was alive!
Jesus is still alive. That’s such happy news for us, isn’t it? This is what we celebrate on Easter. Jesus is alive!
This lesson is for the meringue cookies
Begin this lesson in the evening. The cookies will harden overnight and be ready to eat in the morning.
In this recipe, the egg whites stand for Jesus’ body. Ask what happens with eggs in nature. Talk about how eggs are a symbol of life. One reason we use a lot of eggs at Easter time is because they remind us of life. Jesus gives life. We’re going to use egg whites to symbolize Jesus’ body, His life.
As the kids add each ingredient, discuss that when people died during Bible times, their bodies would be wrapped in spices and special perfumes. Some people even allow the children to break up the pecans by hitting them with a rolling pin inside a zip top baggie and use that as a symbol of Jesus being beaten before crucified. We have nut allergies in our house so I do not use them.
Turn off the oven and place the cookie sheet inside. Placing the cookies into the oven represents Jesus’ body being placed in the tomb. You can give the kids pieces of tape to “seal” the oven door closed just like Pilate sealed the tomb.
Now, go to bed. The disciples did not know what was going to happen. All they knew was that their teacher and friend was gone. They had to wait three days. All we have to do is wait until tomorrow morning!
In the morning, break the seal on the oven and pull out the cookies. As kids take a bite, they will notice the inside of the cookies is hollow. The tomb is empty! Jesus is alive! How do you think the disciples felt when they discovered Jesus was no longer in the tomb? They were so happy and excited! This sure is good news for us too!
This Resurrection Roll activity goes along with the Holy Week activities for Saturday of Holy Week listed in this post. Check it out for plenty of more age-appropriate activities to add to your Easter celebrations. Also check out the posts What Is Lent and What Is Ash Wednesday to find out why these days are important and ways your family or church can observe these holy days with kids.
We use these activities during our daily family devotions throughout the Lenten season. I’d love for you to check out my book Resurrection Moments. It is filled with family-friendly devotions for the entire Easter season from Ash Wednesday through each day of Holy Week.
The book is available in print form here in the Chasing Those Moments shop. And in print and ebook form on Amazon.
I have a devotional book for Advent too! You can read all about it in the post The Jesse Tree or What is Advent and/or check it out in my shop – Jesse Tree Moments. I have tons of resources and activity ideas listed by age group under the Activities tab. As well as fully scripted lesson plans and so many printables in the Chasing Those Moments Shop.
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