“So the white of the marshmallow can be a picture of how Jesus was clean from any sin,” I explained above the clamor of excited 7-year-olds as I opened the bag. I tossed everyone their own piece of fluffy sugar; “Oh hey, he was sweet too … and maybe squishy?” 

At some point every illustration breaks down, some just sooner than others. 

I love making “empty tomb rolls” for Easter week activities, both for nostalgia for me and for potential connection points with children, but crescent dough and Jesus’ resurrection are not a perfect match. 

Next I showed the kids how to dunk their marshmallow in melted butter and coat it in cinnamon sugar, kind of like Jesus’ body was prepared for burial  – but no no, guys, they did not use butter. 

We’ll see what the first-graders tell their parents they learned from the snack; hopefully it isn’t quite as confusing as the year one little boy was scratching his head about how Jesus came out of a chicken egg. I had tried explaining the symbolism of chicks, new life, and Jesus busting out of the tomb, but this age is at such a complex stage of rich imagination coupled with solidly concrete thinking that it’s always interesting.

If you’re not familiar with these rolls, they are both very simple and a little bit magic – perhaps a little like Easter in fact, both straightforward and completely mind-blowing. Crescent dough wedges get wrapped around marshmallows, with cinnamon sugar adding tantalizing flavor throughout. The admittedly somewhat abstract main point is that while the rolls bake, the marshmallows melt away, leaving a hollow center like an empty tomb. 

I tried valiantly to explain the major idea to Benson when we made them at home, too, but he may have been too busy licking the cinnamon sugar off his fingers to pay much attention. That said, he often later repeats phrases or ideas I was sure went in one ear and out the other (sometimes from conversations I wasn’t even having with him), so we’ll see. Similar also to the zinnias, peas, and radishes we’ve been burying in the garden and flowerpots, we do our best to plant the seeds and tend the ground, and wait to see what grows. 

I’m guessing some of the far-too-many plastic eggs we’ve filled and plan to hide this weekend will be lost and end up growing things too, but that’s different. 

Lent, the 40 days leading up to Easter, invites us to take a hard, honest look at the painful things in life, to sit with the weight of being human; we are dust, and to dust we shall return. It isn’t typically described or experienced as a party – but though we can’t just skip to the good part, the good part does always come and hope is always here, for Easter is just about the best party imaginable. 

So we’re over here partying it up, knowing the Lord is risen; Jesus got not dead. And yes, there are marshmallows.

Risen Round 

Resurrection Rolls

“It smells like 1st grade!” exclaimed a previous student – while that wasn’t what I was expecting, cinnamon sugar is definitely better than some other options that demographic provides. I quietly enjoyed using a risen dough to celebrate the risen Savior. You can also pipe a simple icing in the shape of a cross on top of the rolls once they are cooled, but ours didn’t last that long. 

Prep tips: do not skip the parchment paper, unless you want the experience Brian had scrubbing caramelized marshmallow off the baking sheet. 

• ¾ cup warm milk

• ⅓ cup + ¼ cup sugar 

• 1 tablespoon instant yeast

• ½ cup butter, melted

• 1 egg

• a small splash Mexican vanilla

• 3 cups all-purpose flour, plus more if needed

• ½ teaspoon salt

• 1 tablespoon cinnamon

• 12 large marshmallows

Whisk milk, ⅓ cup sugar, and yeast in a measuring cup; let set for a few minutes while you gather the remaining ingredients. Whisk in ⅓ cup of the butter, the egg, and vanilla.

In a mixing bowl, combine the flour, salt, and half the cinnamon. Add in the milk mixture, and knead for several minutes, until cohesive and soft. Cover and let rise for 1-2 hours. Combine remaining sugar and cinnamon and set aside.

Once risen, divide dough into 12 portions; roll each out into a ¼” thick circle. Dip a marshmallow in the butter, then roll in cinnamon sugar, and place in the center of a dough round; fold and wrap around until the marshmallow is completely sealed. Place on a parchment-papered rimmed baking sheet, and bake at 350° for 15-20 minutes, until rolls are golden and marshmallows are fully melted. 

Amanda Miller lives with her husband, two young children, and whoever else God brings them through foster care on the family dairy farm in Hutchinson. She enjoys doing some catering, teaching cooking classes, and freelancing, but mostly chasing after her kids. Reach her at hyperpeanutbutter@gmail.com.