Resurrection Buns (Sweet Easter Buns)

photo by Ann Voskamp @Holy Experience

These buns form a 'hollow' in the middle after baking. This hollow represents the empty tomb when Christ arose on Easter. They taste very much like cinnamon buns.


Ingredients

bread dough, for buns if you are scared of bread dough I have seen lots of cheater recipes using canned crescent rolls or canned biscuits:)
1/4-1/2 cup melted butter, about
1 bag large marshmallows
1 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Directions

1 Mix your cinnamon and sugar together in a bowl.

2 Take a small ball of raw bun dough (these are easily made if you have leftover bread dough as well), and wrap it around a marshmallow, sealing well.

3 Dip the ball into melted butter.

4 Dip the buttered ball into the cinnamon/sugar mix.

5 Place the ball onto a greased cookie pan, (use a pan with a lip, because the marshmallow will melt out to make a nice gooey sauce, and you wouldn't want it all over the bottom of your oven!) Leave enough space between balls to allow them to rise to double their size.

6 Cover loosely with plastic wrap and let rise for about 35 mins or until doubled in size.

7 Pre-heat oven to 375.

8 Bake the Resurrection Buns in the oven for 18-20 mins or until lightly browned.

If you want to do this with your children you can use the following instructions to explain how these rolls represent Christ's ressurection on Easter.

Give each child a small ball of dough. The dough can represent the cloth that Jesus was wrapped in. Read Matthew 27:57-61
Give each child a marshmallow. This represents Jesus.
Have him/her dip the marshmallow in melted butter. This represents the oils of embalming.
Dip the buttered marshmallow in the cinnamon and sugar which represents the spices used to anoint the body.
Wrap up the coated marshmallow tightly in the dough. This represents the wrapping of Jesus' body after death.
Put the rolls in the oven.(The oven represents the tomb - pretend like it was three days!)
Let the rolls cool slightly. The children can open their rolls (cloth) and discover that Jesus is no longer there, HE IS RISEN!!!! (The marshmallow melts and the roll is puffed up, but empty.)

Now read Matthew 28:5-8 Explain:At the tomb,Mary Magdalene and the other Mary saw an angel, who told them not to be afraid.No one had taken Jesus' body,but He Had risen from the dead! The angel told the women to go and tell the disciples what they had seen, that Jesus had risen from the dead.They were so excited, they ran all the way home to tell the disciples the good news!He is risen from the dead! After that Jesus appeared in person to Peter, then to the 12 disciples and after that,to more than 500people.Jesus' appearance to eyewitnesses, those who saw Him with their own eyes, would give support and prove that Jesus rose from the dead. (1 Corinthians 15:3-6)

By rising from the dead, Jesus proved once and for all that He was the Messiah, the Savior of the World, the Chosen One, and the Lamb of God. By dying on the cross and rising from the dead, Jesus did what no other had ever done before. As both God and man, He overcame sin, death, and hell. And now because of what Jesus has done, these things no longer have any power over those who believe in Jesus and allow His Spirit to lead and direct them.

Rather than being slaves to sin and death,Christians (those who love and believe in Jesus) are free to obey God and do good (Romans 6:17-18).The Bible says in John 8:36"If therefore the Son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed." However, we will only obey God if we listen to the Holy Spirit our helper. He enables believers in Jesus to do the right thing. It is important that we read the Bible (God's Word) because one of the ways the Holy Spirit helps us obey God is by reminding us of what He says to us in His Word. God's Spirit will never go against his Word. In fact, when we read God's Word, we are listening to the Holy Spirit.

Of course, you won't always do the right thing; the Bible says this (1 John 1:5-10). But that is why we need to continue to confess our sins knowing that God forgives us, based on what Jesus did on the cross.

HE IS RISEN, HE IS RISEN INDEED!