How to Make Resurrection Rolls for Easter

Are you seeking Christ-centered activities for Easter to do with your children? Learn how to make Resurrection rolls for Easter. Resurrection Rolls are a fun object lesson combined with a yummy treat. This simple recipe uses Crescent rolls and a disappearing marshmallow for a roll that oozes with all the deliciousness of a cinnamon roll! As parents who want to be intentional in teaching Christ at every holiday, we love these Resurrection Rolls!

Ingredients: 

• 8 marshmallows
• 1 package of 8 crescent rolls
• 2 Tbsp. butter
• 1 Tbsp. cinnamon
• 2 Tbsp. sugar 

Additional Materials: 

• one Large Muffin Tin OR two small ones (You’ll need room for 8 rolls)
• non-stick cooking spray

Directions:

1. Prep the ingredients

• Turn oven to 375°
• Melt the butter 15-20 seconds
• Mix cinnamon and sugar together in one bowl
• Set ingredients out on the table
• Spray the muffin tin with non-stick cooking spray

If using a devotional, make the first roll to demonstrate and talk your kids through the devotional. Then the kids make the rest. With older kids, you can read Luke 23 and 24.

2. Take One Marshmallow and Begin Explaining the Resurrection Rolls Story

Explain: The white marshmallow represents Jesus He is pure, sinless and perfect.

Though Jesus was perfect, there were people who hated him and wanted to kill him because He claimed to be the Son of God. So they crucified him on a cross.

Bible verses: John 19:16-37

3. Roll the marshmallow in the melted butter

Explain: The butter represents the oil of embalming. Jesus’ friends and followers took his body after He was dead and embalmed it with myrrh and aloes.

Bible verses: John 19:38-39

4. Dip the marshmallow in the cinnamon sugar mixture

Explain: The cinnamon could represent two things.

a. It looks dirty like our sin, so it can represent our sin that Jesus took away when He died.

Bible verses: Romans 5:8, 1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:5, 1 Corinthians 15:3

b. It could also represent the spices used to prepare the body when He was dead.

Bible verses: John 19:38-39

5. Wrap the marshmallow in a crescent roll

– not like a typical crescent roll though, but bring the sides up and seal the marshmallow inside, carefully sealing the dough around every opening so the marshmallow is completely enclosed. (This is really important or the melting marshmallow will ooze out when baking and cause a mess on the pan and in the oven.)

Explain: This represents the wrapping of Jesus’ body after His death.

Bible verses: John 19:40

6. Place Resurrection crescent rolls in muffin tin. Invite kids to make remaining rolls. Put rolls in the oven.

Explain: The oven represents the tomb. Jesus’s friends buried his body in the tomb and left, for it was the start of the Sabbath.

Bible verses: John 19:41-42

7. Cook 10-12 minutes. Remove from oven. Continue Resurrection rolls story while rolls are cooling.

Explain: Three days later, some of Jesus’ friends and family went back to his tomb. They wanted to put more spices on his body. But, when they came to his tomb, they saw the most incredible thing! Do you know what it was?

(Cut the roll open. The marshmallow will be gone and the roll will have an open cavern in the middle.)

The linen cloths they had wrapped Jesus in were lying there and empty. The tomb was empty! Jesus was no longer there! He had risen from the dead!

Bible verses: Luke 24:1-12, John 20:1-9

8. If you have older children, you may want to continue the story:

At the tomb, Mary Magdalene and the other women saw angels, who told them no one had taken Jesus’ body, but He had risen from the dead! The women returned to the disciples and told them what they had seen – that Jesus had risen from the dead.

After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, to the 12 disciples and later, to more than 500 people. These eyewitnesses who saw Jesus with their own eyes would give support and prove that Jesus rose from the dead (1 Corinthians 15:3-6).

In rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He is the Son of God, the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no one had ever done or could do before. As both God and man, Jesus conquered sin, death, and hell. And because of what Jesus has done, sin and death no longer have power over those who believe in Jesus and who allow His Spirit to direct them.    

Those who love and believe in Jesus are no longer slaves to sin and death and in fact are free to obey God and do good ( Romans 6:17-18). The Bible says in John 8:36, “If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed.”

After appearing to the many after his resurrection, Jesus ascended into heaven. But He did not leave us alone. God has sent us a helper, the Holy Spirit, and we will only obey God if we listen to the Holy Spirit. He enables believers in Jesus to do the right thing, for the Spirit reminds us of what God says to us in His Word, the Bible. So it is important that we read the Bible so we know how to obey God. Also, God’s Spirit will never go against his Word, so when we read God’s Word, we are listening to the Holy Spirit.

We will not always do the right thing but that is why we need to continue to confess our sins, knowing that God forgives us, based on what Jesus did on the cross. (1 John 1:5-10) We also need to spend time with other believers in Christ so they can encourage us in our faith.

9. Eat and Enjoy!

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