Each year when I was small, I can remember my mom baking up a pan of delicious sticky buns to eat on Easter morning. Even better than standard sticky buns, though, these buns were something truly special: one bite into each one revealed an empty center, just like the empty tomb discovered on Easter morning. Now that I am a mama myself, I love making these for my own children to help convey the true message of Easter, and I have learned my mom’s secret to the empty center: marshmallows! Start a delicious new Easter tradition this year by baking a batch of resurrection rolls for your own family.
- 10 individually frozen rolls, thawed (I use Rhodes brand)
- 10 jumbo marshmallows
- ½ cup butter, melted
- ½ cup granulated sugar
- ¾ teaspoon ground cinnamon, divided
- ½ cup chopped pecans
- ¼ cup brown sugar
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Grease a 9-inch round baking dish or pie plate, and sprinkle the ½ cup chopped pecans evenly over the bottom. Set aside.
- Place melted butter in a shallow dish. In another shallow dish, mix together granulated sugar and ½ teaspoon cinnamon.
- Flatten each thawed piece of dough into a circle and place one marshmallow in the center of the circle. Wrap dough around marshmallow and pinch to seal. Dip each marshmallow-filled ball into melted butter, and dredge in cinnamon/sugar mixture, coating evenly on all sides. (When all of the rolls are prepared, reserve the leftover butter and sugar mixture.) Arrange prepared rolls, seam side down, in the prepared pan.
- Combine the remaining butter, granulated sugar mixture, and the ¼ cup brown sugar and remaining ¼ teaspoon ground cinnamon, stirring well. Spoon a bit of the mixture over each prepared roll, and cover the pan with plastic wrap.
- Allow rolls to rise until doubled in bulk, about one hour. Bake for 30 minutes, or until rolls are golden brown. Allow to cool in pan for 15 minutes before inverting onto a serving platter.
Use your favorite homemade bread dough for this recipe instead of the frozen variety if you prefer.
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On the outside, these might look like traditional ooey, gooey sticky buns…
But open them up to discover an empty center, just like the tomb on Easter morning!
Tips for Making Resurrection Rolls
If you have a favorite recipe for dinner rolls, you can most certainly substitute that for these buns, but I honestly love the ease of prep by using the frozen dough.
For an added element of fun, have older children help make the buns, comparing closing up the marshmallows inside to what Jesus’ followers did with his body in the tomb on Good Friday.
To make things easier on Easter morning, prepare the rolls and cover with plastic wrap, and allow to rise in the refrigerator overnight. Bake as directed above.
On the hunt for more Easter-worthy fare? Check out these other great recipes from the PS archives!
Cadbury Egg Bunnies
Bunny Tail Oreos
Easter Mason Jar
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Having grown up in a home brimming with sewing notions and paintbrushes, Amy has a deep love for all things creative. On any given day, you’ll find her knee-deep in her latest creative endeavor, with projects ranging from sewing and crafts to home decor and kid-friendly ideas. Amy believes that everyone, regardless of skill level or experience, possesses the ability to create something beautiful, and Positively Splendid was born of her passion for helping others harness their innate creative potential.
