The kitchen can be a great place to help your children learn more about Easter. Here are some cooking activities to share with your children this Easter: Umm, Easter Cookies, Resurrection Rolls, Easter Pretzels and Hot Cross Buns!
by Stacey Schifferdecker
Children’s Minister, PTA volunteer, and Scout leader.
The kitchen can be a great place to help your children learn more about Easter. Here are some cooking activities to share with your children this Easter: Umm, Easter Cookies, Resurrection Rolls, Easter Pretzels and Hot Cross Buns!
Make Easter cookies
All the ingredients of these cookies symbolize part of the Easter story. As you make the cookies, you will read portions of the Bible to your children.
Ingredients
1 cup whole pecans
1 tsp. vinegar
3 egg whites
pinch salt
1 cup sugar
Directions
1 . If you are making the cookies at night and want them to be done in the morning, set the oven to 300 degrees. If you want the cookies to be done in a couple hours, set the oven to 250 degrees.
2. Read John 19:1-3 and explain that after Jesus was arrested, He was beaten by the Roman soldiers. Place the pecans in a zipper bag and let children use a wooden spoon to break them into small pieces.
3. Read John 19:28-30 and explain that when Jesus was thirsty on the cross, he was given vinegar to drink. Let each child smell the vinegar and put 1 tsp. into a mixing bowl.
4. Read John 10:10-11. Explain that eggs represent life and that Jesus gave His life for us. Add the egg whites to the vinegar.
5. Read Luke 23:27. Sprinkle a little salt into each child’s hand and let them taste it. Explain that the salt represents the tears shed by Jesus’ followers when he died. Add a pinch of salt to the mixing bowl.
6. Read Psalm 34:8 and John 3:16. Ask your children what they think about the ingredients you have added so far, then add 1 cup of sugar. Explain that the sweetest part of Easter is that Jesus died because He loves us. He wants us to know and belong to Him.
7. Read Isaiah. 1:18 and John 3:1-3. Beat the ingredients with a mixer on high speed for 12 to 15 minutes, until stiff peaks form. Explain that the color white represents the purity in God’s eyes of those whose sins have been cleansed by Jesus.
8. Read Matthew 27:57-60. Fold in the broken nuts. Drop the dough by teaspoons onto a cookie sheet covered with wax paper. Explain that each mound represents the rocky tomb where Jesus’ body was laid.
9. Read Matthew 27:65-66. Put the cookie sheet in the oven and close the oven door. Give each child a piece of tape to seal the oven door. Explain that Jesus’ tomb was sealed. If you are going to leave the cookies to cook overnight, turn the oven OFF. Otherwise, leave it at 250 degrees.
10. Read John 16:20 and 22. Explain that they may feel sad to leave the cookies in the oven for so long, just like Jesus’ followers were sad when Jesus was in the tomb.
11. When the cookies are done (the next morning or in a couple hours – the surface will be dry and cracked), let everyone take a bite. The cookies are hollow! Read Matthew 28:1-9.
Make Resurrection Rolls
Resurrection rolls are a simpler version of cooking up an empty tomb.
Ingredients
Packaged crescent rolls
Regular-size marshmallows
Melted butter
Cinnamon sugar
Directions
1. Open the package of crescent rolls and separate them into eight triangles.
2. Give each child one triangle-shaped section of crescent roll and one marshmallow.
3. Let the children dip the marshmallow in the melted butter and roll it in the cinnamon sugar mixture.
4. Lay the marshmallow on the dough and wrap it around the marshmallow, pinching the seams together.
5. Use a pastry brush to brush some more melted butter on the bread, and then sprinkle on some more cinnamon sugar
6. Bake the rolls according to package directions. While they are baking, read an Easter story.
7. After the rolls cool, break them open. They are empty, just like Jesus’ tomb! Then enjoy a sweet snack together.
Make pretzels
Legend has it that pretzels were “invented” by a monk, who twisted the bread to make it look like the crossed arms of a person in prayer. As you make and bake the pretzels, you can pray together.
Ingredients
1 can refrigerated breadsticks
1 egg white, beaten until foamy
Toppings of your choice – course salt, cinnamon sugar, Parmesan cheese, etc.
Directions
1. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Line a cookie sheet with waxed paper.
2. Unroll the dough and separate it into 12 breadsticks.
3. Twist and stretch each breadstick until it is about 22 inches long.
4. Shape each rope into a pretzel shape, tucking the ends under and press to seal.
5. Brush the egg white over the pretzels and sprinkle them with your choice of toppings.
6. Bake 12 to 18 minutes or until golden brown. Serve warm.
Make hot cross buns
Hot cross buns are traditionally eaten on Good Friday.
Ingredients
loaf of frozen bread rolls
1 cup raisins
1/4 cup sugar
1 tsp. cinnamon
2 tbsp. melted butter
2 cups powdered sugar
2 tbsp. milk
Directions
1. Thaw the bread rolls.
2. Mix the raisins with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon.
3. Flatten the rolls slightly.
4. Roll a bit of the raisin mixture into each roll.
5. Place the balls in a greased pan and brush them with melted butter.
6. Let rise in a warm place until doubled in size (about 45 minutes).
7. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes
8. Mix 1 cup powdered sugar, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, and 4 teaspoons milk to make a glaze. Brush it over the warm rolls.
9. Mix 1 cup powdered sugar and 3 teaspoons milk to make a stiff frosting. When the rolls are cool, use a pastry tube to make a cross on each bun. If you don’t have a pastry tube, use a zipper bag with the corner cut off.
What are good Christian Easter cooking activities to do with kids?
Table of Contents
This article shares four faith-based Easter recipes you can make together as a family. Easter Cookies walk children through the Easter story with Bible verses as you mix ingredients — the hollow baked cookies represent the empty tomb. Resurrection Rolls use crescent dough wrapped around a marshmallow that disappears in the oven, just like Jesus’s body from the tomb. Pretzels shaped like crossed arms teach about prayer, and Hot Cross Buns carry the traditional cross of frosting eaten on Good Friday. Each recipe turns kitchen time into a meaningful Easter conversation.
How do you make Resurrection Rolls with children?
Resurrection Rolls are beautifully simple. Open a package of crescent rolls and separate into triangles. Give each child a triangle and a marshmallow. Dip the marshmallow in melted butter and roll it in cinnamon sugar, then lay it on the dough and wrap the dough around it, pinching the seams closed. Brush with more melted butter and sprinkle cinnamon sugar on top. Bake according to the package directions. When they come out of the oven, break one open — the marshmallow has melted away, leaving an empty hollow, just like Jesus’ empty tomb.
How do you make hot cross buns for Easter?
Thaw a loaf of frozen bread rolls, then mix raisins with 1/4 cup sugar and 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon. Flatten each roll slightly, roll a bit of the raisin mixture into the center, and place in a greased pan. Brush with melted butter, let rise in a warm spot for about 45 minutes until doubled, then bake at 350°F for 20 minutes. While still warm, brush with a simple powdered sugar glaze. Once cooled, pipe a cross on each bun using a stiffer powdered sugar frosting — a zipper bag with the corner snipped works perfectly.
Easter baking is a wonderful way to spend the holiday together.A little creativity in the kitchen goes a long way on Easter.
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