Make Empty Tomb Rolls (Easy Easter Resurrection Rolls Recipe)

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Start A New Easter Tradition With Your Kids and Grandkids

Easter is such a joyful day, and these empty tomb rolls are one of the sweetest ways to celebrate it.

Also known as resurrection rolls, this simple recipe uses crescent dough, cinnamon sugar, and a marshmallow center that melts away as they bake—leaving an “empty tomb” inside. It’s a hands-on tradition that’s especially fun to make with kids and grandkids, and a meaningful way to share the story of Easter.

The best part? They come together quickly with just a few ingredients, making them perfect for Easter morning, brunch, or a simple spring dessert.

If you’re planning an Easter meal, you might also enjoy my Strawberry Pretzel Cups or Overnight Creme Brule French Toast.

These buns are easy to make and taste amazing. They also provide a great visual for children, demonstrating how Jesus rose and left an empty tomb on Easter morning.

Over the years, wise mommas have made them with their kiddos to teach this important lesson. Get the kids involved and make it part of your Easter tradition.

Easter has always been a very special day for our family. This photograph of our six grandkids’ hands forming a cross is one of my treasures. Those six kids range in age from seventeen to twenty-seven now; how the years fly by!

The rolls were a bit of a mess, but you can make them into a message they will always remember! Maybe it will give you an idea for your own special photo for this blessed occasion.

The Delicious History Of These Sweet Buns

This recipe is well over fifty years old! It was the $25,000 Grand Prize winner in the 1969 Pillsbury Bake-Off! That year, 1969, was the year of Woodstock, the Beatles' last public performance, and the first moon landing!

The recipe was the brainchild of Mrs. Edna Walker from Eden Prairie, Minnesota. Edna descriptively called them "Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs." Mrs. Walker passed away in 2007, but her recipe has been enjoyed for three generations since she created it.

Though very simple, the recipe was especially noteworthy as the first winning Bake-Off recipe to use a relatively new product: refrigerated dough! Following the contest, so many people flocked to their grocery stores to buy Pillsbury crescent rolls that stores actually ran out!

I was unable to track down when the smart, faith-filled person gave this simple recipe an entirely new meaning, but whoever it was, I sure do admire their imagination. I bet it was a really creative Sunday school teacher.

All You Need Are Four Easy-To-Find Ingredients

All you need is a tube of crescent rolls, some large marshmallows, melted butter, and cinnamon sugar. Roll the sugar-coated marshmallows snugly into a crescent roll dough, pop them into a muffin tin, and bake!

The buns are as sweet as the message they teach. When you bake them, the marshmallow magically disappears, leaving the yummiest, caramelly goo inside. These rolls are incredibly tasty; they will disappear like magic, just like the marshmallows!

You will need eight large marshmallows for each tube of crescent roll dough from the refrigerator section. Don't use the new-fangled "jumbo" marshmallows; they are way too big to fit into a triangle of crescent roll dough.

How To Make Empty Tomb Rolls

Unroll the crescent rolls and separate them into eight triangles. It works best when the dough is very cold, right out of the refrigerator. One by one, dunk the marshmallows into melted butter and tap off any of the excess.

Now roll that buttery marshmallow in the cinnamon sugar and coat it generously, but again, tap off any excess. Use a fork to keep things a little neater!

Now, wrap that sugary marshmallow snugly inside a triangle of crescent roll dough. I found starting at the skinny end is easier. Roll it up toward the wide end. This step is by far the trickiest part of this recipe!

Use your fingers to pinch and pinch each seam shut so the melted marshmallow doesn't sneak out of the dough. Despite my best pinching efforts, I still had some marshmallow leakage, but it did not take away from the deliciousness of these Empty Tomb Rolls!

Muffin cups are perfect for this recipe. I had more success baking these yummy buns when I placed each in a greased muffin tin cup rather than on a flat baking sheet. The rolls hold their shape better, and it helps keep the marshmallow inside.

My old Norpro muffin pans have served me well for many years, but there are many newer, better options available today! If you want, sprinkle some extra cinnamon sugar on the outside of the buns before you bake them.

I dipped the tops in what was left of the melted butter and then in the last of the cinnamon sugar. There's no such thing as too much cinnamon sugar, is there?

Patience pays off if you want perfection, and with a little more practice, I bet you'll have those babies rolled nice and tight, snug as a bug in a rug! These yummy cinnamon buns will melt in your mouth, no matter how they look!

Bake the buns at 375 degrees for about twelve minutes or until golden brown. Don't be alarmed if some of them look like this! They will still taste amazing! I practiced rolling the marshmallows in the dough, and my second batch looked better.

Easter is such a joyful day! Make these empty-tomb rolls with your kids or grandkids for a sweet, sticky, happy, and meaningful memory!

Here are some other easy treats that would be fun to make for Easter:

💛 Yummy Ice Box Cookie Pie - the best, easiest dessert pie you'll ever make! (Our daughter already has one in the freezer and will add little chocolate eggs on top!)

💛 Egg and Cheese Salad Sandwiches - If you have leftover hard-cooked eggs, you will love these!

PRINTABLE RECIPE CARD

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Yield: 8 buns

Empty Tomb Rolls

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These are also known as Resurrection Rolls and can be used as a wonderful lesson to teach children about the meaning of Easter Sunday! When you dip a marshmallow in melted butter, roll it in cinnamon sugar, wrap it in crescent roll dough, and bake it, something miraculous happens! The marshmallow disappears, leaving a sweet, gooey filling inside the hollow bun!

Prep Time 15 minutes

Cook Time 12 minutes

Total Time 27 minutes

Ingredients

• One tube of refrigerated crescent roll dough
• 1/4 cup sugar
• 2 tsp cinnamon
• 8 large marshmallows, not jumbo.
• 3 Tbsp butter

Instructions

1. Preheat the oven to 375 degrees.
2. Grease the cups of eight standard-size muffin tins.
3. Melt the butter in a small dish.
4. Combine the cinnamon and sugar in a second small dish.
5. Separate the crescent roll dough into triangles.
6. Roll each marshmallow in melted butter, then into cinnamon sugar, coating the marshmallow generously.
7. Roll the marshmallow in a crescent dough triangle, starting at the pointed end and rolling toward the wide end.
8. Pitch every seam tightly shut to keep the marshmallow from leaking out.
9. Place each in a greased cup of a standard muffin tin.
10. Bake at 375 degrees for about 12 minutes or until golden brown.
11. Let the buns cool slightly before removing them from the muffin cup.
12. Serve and eat warm.

Nutrition Information:

Yield:

8

Serving Size:

1
Amount Per Serving: Calories: 227Total Fat: 12gSaturated Fat: 6gTrans Fat: 0gUnsaturated Fat: 5gCholesterol: 14mgSodium: 172mgCarbohydrates: 29gFiber: 1gSugar: 11gProtein: 1g

If you liked how this recipe turned out, I'd love it if you left a ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ review or dropped me a note in the comments! It really helps my little business connect with people who cook and eat like we do. Thanks! ❤❤

Love, GB (Betty Streff)

Real food. Real kitchen. Real easy.

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