Monday 25 March 2013

Easter Special: Resurrection Rolls




When I was a caker kid growing up in the United Church, there was nothing I liked better than Holy Communion. It meant you got a free cube of Wonder Bread and a thimble-full of grape juice. Heck, that was more than we had most days for lunch, especially if Mother lost at Bingo that morning.

Resurrection Rolls represent the miraculous story of Jesus rising from the dead using – what else? – marshmallows and Pilsbury crescent roll dough. Look, I’m not saying it’s holiest of representations, but it sure is the tastiest!

In this recipe, Jesus is a marshmallow. You dunk him in melted margarine and sprinkle him with cinnamon sugar. Then you wrap him up in Pilsbury dough, pop him into the oven and when you open the “tomb” – poof! – he’s gone! Just make sure the seams of your tomb are sealed tight. Otherwise, it’ll look like Jesus is seeping out. And that can be a confusing message for kids.

From my ruffled curtain kitchen to yours, all the best for Easter. May Peter Cottontail leave you plenty of eggs – just not the crappy kind with the white stuff in the middle.

1 or 2 cans of crescent dinner rolls
Marshmallows (large size)
Margarine (melted)
Cinnamon sugar

Separate the dough into triangles (representing the linen cloth used for burial – Luke 23:53). Dip marshmallows (representing the body) “in soil and spices” – Luke 23:56. Wrap the “body” in the “linen cloth” (lightly pinch seams) and lay on cookie sheet. Place in the “tomb” and bake according to directions on the can of the rolls. Remove from “tomb” to discover the body is gone! HE IS RISEN!!!

1) Dip the body.









2) Wrap it up.








3) Pray he doesn't leak.









UPDATE: I just clued in that the "tomb" is the oven and not the crescent roll, which is the linen. Sometimes, it takes me a while.

Source: Canadian Bible Society Celebration Cookbook

12 comments:

  1. How very...odd. So I guess when you eat one, you get a mouthful of molten marshmallow? Not sure that's something I'd like.
    On the other hand, this couldn't be easier, and I do love me some Pillsbury crescent rolls.

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    1. You're not supposed to get the molten marshmallow. It's supposed to melt or evaporate. Or something. If your "tomb" opens on the oven, though, things could get a little sticky. Literally.

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  2. I think a round of applause.
    It does look very authentic. And backlit, too.
    A fine teaching tool. Poof! Gone.
    Hapy Easter to all.

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    1. I'm glad someone noticed my lighting. At that moment, the sun shone through the tomb. Divine intervention? Perhaps.

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  3. Wow. You weren't kidding when you said you had an Easter surprise. That is very funny. I've never heard of those before. By the way, I finally made the mock apple pie! I've been wanting to make it ever since I saw your post becasue I couldn't quite believe it. I figured March Break was the perfect time and it was so cool! Totally fooled everyone which is very disturbing.

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    1. Yay! Another mock apple pie convert. Glad it turned out. Remember: tastes just like the real thing. Only without nutrients.

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  4. I wonder if this is a United Church thing! One of the ladies always brought these to church on Easter Sunday and as a kid it was the best part of the church service, except for Communion--I did love that Welch's grape juice! I'd forgotten about these--thanks for the memories--and the recipe! Happy Easter!

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    1. I'd never heard of Resurrection Rolls before I came across this recipe, so I don't know how common it is among United Church folk. The one drawback with the grape juice was that it was always lukewarm by the time it made the rounds. And the cup was never big enough.

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  5. I grew up in the United Church and am very disappointed that I never knew about these resurrection rolls. So awesome! Though I do remember those cubes of bread. We had to wait until everyone was served to eat ours and by that time we had played with it so much it was nasty. But we ate it anyway followed by Welch's grape juice.

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    1. Playing with your communion bread cube is a right of passage for many United Church kids.

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  6. This was a Pillsbury Bake-Off recipe sometime in the early 70's. I wonder if the Canadian Bible Society gave proper credit? Or is plagerism not a sin?

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    1. Hmm. I'm not sure about the credit. I'll have to check the book and see. BTW - I googled images of Resurrection Rolls and there's some good ones out there. Much better than mine.

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