I remember when my boys were all very little, holidays were such a blur for me. I longed to make them meaningful and establish traditions for our family, but the truth is I was already in survival mode. Having three boys ages four and under, my everyday job of keeping the boys alive was all I could handle. I remember feeling disappointed in myself that I couldn’t do more to make the day feel special. Now that my boys are getting older and more independent, I feel like we are able to do some of the things I’ve had in the back of my mind these past few years. These Empty Tomb Rolls are just that! I loved doing these as a kid and have meant to do them with my boys for the past couple of years. I love the illustration of the marshmallow being wrapped in crescent roll dough, and then disappearing to leave a hollow roll. I think the boys really got it!
All you need is large marshmallows, butter, cinnamon sugar, and a tube of crescent rolls. I also found a children’s Bible story book with the story of Jesus’s resurrection in simple language to read as we enjoyed our Empty Tomb Rolls.
The boys loved getting their hands nice and sticky. And of course licking the cinnamon sugar off their fingers every so often to ensure that all the germs are shared equally. You may want to help make sure all the seams are pinched together. I had a few of my rolls leak marshmallow as they baked, but the no worries, the overall effect was still the same.
We used a pre made tube of white icing to draw a cross on the top of the rolls. The recipe for these rolls is as simple as it gets, which will allow you to focus on letting your kids get involved and taking the time to explain the story of the empty tomb.
My boys loved that the rolls really were empty! No more marshmallow, just a sticky sweet coating on the inside of the rolls.
We’ve had this verse on our chalkboard for the past few weeks as we’ve prepared our hearts for the Easter season. I’m so thankful for this Hope that we have and that I can share it with my boys as they grow in their understanding. Happy Easter to you sweet friends!
Chalkboard Design credit: Dear Lillie
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Empty Tomb Rolls
- Prep Time: 15 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 25 minutes
- Yield: 8 1x
- Category: Dessert
- Method: Bake
- Cuisine: American
Description
These Empty Tomb Rolls are a really yummy way to teach your kids about the story of Easter!
Ingredients
- 1/4 cup melted butter
- 1/4 cup cinnamon sugar
- 8 large marshmallows
- 1 tube crescent roll dough
- 1 tube white icing
- flour for dusting work surface
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Spray a muffin tin with nonstick spray.
- Dust your work surface with flour, and unroll the tube of crescent roll dough, pinching seams back together. Cut into eight equal squares.
- Dip a marshmallow in butter and then cinnamon sugar, and then wrap in dough. Pinch seams together and place seam side down in the muffin tin well. Repeat with remaining marshmallows.
- Bake for 9-11 minutes. Allow them to cool for 5 minutes before removing from the tin.
- Add the icing cross once they have fully cooled.
Nutrition
- Serving Size: 1 Roll
- Calories: 262
- Sugar: 13g
- Sodium: 172mg
- Fat: 12g
- Saturated Fat: 6.7g
- Unsaturated Fat: 3.7g
- Trans Fat: 0.2g
- Carbohydrates: 36g
- Fiber: 1.6g
- Protein: 3.9g
- Cholesterol: 32mg
Disclaimer: the links in this post for the children’s Bible story book are Amazon affiliate links.
grace says
SUPER clever! i’ve never seen this done but it’s brilliant and fun and has a great message to boot!
Julie says
Thanks Grace
Katya @ Little Broken says
I so love these Julie! Such cute and clever idea with awesome message for little ones 🙂
Julie says
Thank you. Happy Easter!
Jessica says
I love this! Can they be made in advance?
Julie says
You can make them in advance, but they probably taste better the same day, just like regular crescent rolls from a tube. Hope you enjoy!
Elisa says
Hi Julie, I’ve just found out your blog and, after a quick glance and some scrolling through your recipe archive, I fell in love with it! All your recipes look really appealing and I can’t wait to try them all out 🙂 This one, in particular, looks amazing! I’d never seen anything like these rolls, they’re truly perfect for Easter and I love how easy they look to put together. Genius idea!
xo, Elisa
Julie says
Thank you Elisa, so glad you found me!
Tally says
Yummy! This looks amazing. My mom used to make something similar
Julie says
Thanks Tally! They are so fun!
Lisa says
Made these tonight. The kids loved them! I love these too!
Julie says
Yay! I’m so glad you had the chance to make those with your kids. Happy Easter!
Charlotte says
Could you please tell me what is “crescent roll dough”. I am from South Africa and am not familiar with this dough. Would so like to make these.
Thank you.
Julie says
Hello! It is a canned (very convenient, but not too healthy) dough that is cut into triangles and rolled into croissant shaped rolls. Do you have something like this in South Africa? You can really use any slightly sweet dough.
Petra says
That’s a very nice way to illustrate the message of Easter for little kids. I will try this with my 5yo.
Thanks for the idea and the recipe!
Julie says
Thank you Petra! Hope you enjoy!
Meredith @ LagunaLane.com says
I love this! What a tangible way for kids to see the meaning of Jesus’ resurrection, and I can’t wait to do this with my kids. I included your post on my Easter inspiration board.
https://lagunalane.com/easter-inspiration/
Julie says
Thank you so much for sharing this idea on your board! Happy Easter!
Liz says
I haven’t made these since I was a kid in the early 90’s! I’m excited to make these with my kids (and hopefully my Sunday School class) as making food is a great way to create memorable teaching opportunities that stick with them.
Julie says
Liz, they are so 90’s! 😉Enjoy, and Happy Easter!
Barbara says
I made these to share at the beginning of our Easter dinner. I did not use the brand name crescent roll and the sides of my rolls are not as thick as yours. I think that is why I had some blow outs. Still enough to share with my Grands and friends. Always looking for a way to tell the story! Thanks, and Blessed Easter to you and yours
Barbara
Julie says
Happy Easter, Barbara!
Paula says
Hi, can these be made with any other doughs (eg homemade ones)? I would really like to make these but I am not sure what Crescent Roll Dough is. I am from New Zealand and we don’t seem to have this.
Julie says
Paula, you could really use any yeasted dough. Crescent rolls are a canned dough product that is popular here.
Hester says
This is my first try at this. The marshmallow is that the regular size. Not the mini but the regular size
Julie says
That is correct. Use the regular size marshmallow, not the mini. Enjoy!
Teri Stalvey says
I am always looking for ways to make holidays special and meaningful with my grandchildren. We love to bake together … ages 5-15! Thank you for this. They will be so excited!
Aubrey Jensen says
Been looking for a Christian baker to follow. So grateful you know our Lord God and Saviour is risen! Praise the King.