Marshmallow Roll Revamp

It's time for another Throwback Thursday revamp! I know Easter is still 3 months away, but I figured I'd get this up and out there right now. This is a pin that people seem to go crazy about right before Easter or Halloween (which is a funny combination in my opinion). It also is one of the pins we have received the most Pinstrosities for. 

I give you 

(duh duh duh!!!)

The Resurrection/Hocus Pocus/Marshmallow Roll!

http://eatatallies.com/2011/04/resurrection-rolls/

(Oh man...of course I pick something with sugary bread goodness to post right now...makes my bowl of oatmeal look/taste extra boring. Oh well.)

This will make the 4th post we've done on these bad boys. The previous 3 posts are:

Redundo Rolls

Marshmallow Rolls: The Great Escape

Easter Round Up

These rolls just aren't easy to get to work. I tried them and ran into issues and never could quite figure them out. Today we have 3 submissions to feature, and then we'll share all the information we've gleaned on these from reading, submissions, and comments. 

Submission #1:

"I have been in a huge Pinterest recipe kick lately. And up until a few nights ago they have all turned out great. The other night I decided to make hocus pocus buns. They seemed super easy. Just dip a marshmallow in butter, roll in cinnamon and sugar, and wrap in crescent roll dough. The pin says that the marshmallow should disappear when you bake them. But as you can tell by the pics mine did not disappear. In fact they did the opposite and got HUGE! In the end I would rate this a 3 on the pinstrosity scale. Where as they did not do what I thought they would do, they were still edible. And pretty tasty. I mean you really cant go wrong with marshmallows and cinnamon sugar right?!" -Shelby

Submission #2

"The only thing that I did different was, I accidentally put brown sugar instead of cinnamon inside AND I baked it on wax paper vs the pan directly, thinking it wouldn’t burn or stick as much. Not sure what went so wrong here…." -Natalie

Submission #3

"So, my story starts out by seeing this pin several weeks ago after FINALLY giving in to Pinterest. I've become quite the pinning momma since then. Mainly my skills are put to the test on Saturday nights with my cousin and a bottle (or 2) of wine. And never baking. Well, I had been wanting to try these darling little bites of heaven out and thought they would be fun to make with my 3 year old son. Well, my hubby comes home from the store today with these flippin ginormous marshmallows that are half the size of my head and reduced fat crescent rolls. I'm not saying this had anything to do with the outcome, but I'm just sayin...Anyways, my son decided to take a nice big poopy in his pants, which in turn earned him an early nap and no baking time with mommy. So, I proceed to pop my little balls of yummy deliciousness into my oven and enjoy the wonderful aroma of cinnamon and sugar erupting from my kitchen.And then it happened, the horrid smell of burned butt. I bolted to the kitchen, opened the oven door, and there it was...my pinstrosity! What I had concocted was a large, overflowing magma of cinnamon, butter, and marshmallows coming from one large glob of crescent roll. Yep, that's my story. But! My hubby ate it all up and my son didn't know the difference. 

Sincerely, Not So Betty Crocker Reagan"

Tips and Tricks

So now for how to get these right (or at least things you can do that will help to result in less of a Pinstrosity). I'll make the main tip in each comment large and bold so it sticks out for you scanners. 

• Jessica commented and said, "I cook professionally, but I'm not a food photographer so the stuff I make from Pinterest generally looks undesirable. My suggestion with this recipe would be to lower the heat and put the rolls in a cold oven, allowing the rolls to preheat with the oven. The marshmallow will have short time to melt, rather than explode."
• An Anonymous commenter said, "Use a toothpick to hold it together! Also there are two sizes of crescent rolls. There are a larger size with 6 in a roll and smaller sized ones with 8 rolls in the can. This might be the problem. I use only the big ones when a recipe calls for crescent rolls, unless it specifically calls for the smaller ones. I like to have more to work with."
• Another Anonymous commenter said, "My boyfriend and i just did this same recipe. We used the big marshmallows, and the Pillsbury crescent rolls. Instead of using the crescent rolls in the shape of a triangle we mushed each piece into it's own ball and then flattened it out like mini pizza crusts. And when you put it on the pan make sure to have it pinched side down, it won't stopped the leakage of marshmallow but it certainly minimizes it. They were absolutely delicious though! i think next time we make this we'll sprinkle some of the left over cinnamon sugar on top. yum..."
• Brenda Lady said, "I make these all the time and they always turn out great!!!! The problem is the dough you used!! Buy regular frozen bread rolls (NO CRESCENT ROLLS!!!), I use Rhodes. Allow rolls to thaw in a single layer for about an hour, until the dough is pliable. Flatten out each roll (but don't be too rough or you'll end up with overly tough bread) and wrap around a large marshmallow, seal edges as best you can and then roll in cinnamon sugar. Bake according to package directions, but start checking on half way through and every 5-10 mins (this might seem a little extreme, but I've found that even a minor difference in temp between ovens can have a huge effect on how these guys turn out). Also, don't crowd the pan!!! The marshmallows SHOULD melt out of the roll, leaving a hollow inside, but the point is they SHOULD MELT. You'll end up with a clear, sticky, sweet layer of melted marshmallow at the bottom of the pan and hollow rolls."
• Morgan said, "I learned how to make these as a young girl in church. We always used regular biscuit dough that came in a rolled can (Pillsburry)instead of crescent dough. We never had any issue with marshmallow leaking out of the pan. I have done them both in muffin pans and regular baking sheets. You do need to make sure that all seams are closed tightly though. With a weak seam you will get the inside running out. I do wonder if there is a bigger chance of a weak seam because crescents are a more flaky dough than regular biscuit dough?" 
• There are many comments about making sure that the seams are all pinched very tight in order to contain the marshmallow. 
• Carter (from this post) tried these once and got a Pinstrosity, and then tried them again. He said, "This time, instead of pinching them shut like the recipe calls for you to do, I wrapped them in such a way that the marshmallow could still breathe. Fifteen minutes later I pulled out perfectly fluffy, delicious treats (and they taste just as heavenly as the easter story they represent). The point being DO NOT SEAL THESE SHUT! It will piss off your marshmallow and make for a horrendous clean up time!"
• ValGal said, "This recipe has been around for YEARS, and while I admire the blog lady's attempt to make the process about religion, she's leaving out an important step... put them in a cupcake or muffin tin for baking. We also usually bake them at 375 instead of 350. Anyways I googled it to check and every other site with this recipe recommends a muffin tin, including Pillsbury's own site.
  http://www.pillsbury.com/recipes/magic-marshmallow-crescent-puffs/291cfc34-4b0c-4338-8797-597804aadda1#
  In the comments someone asks if they can use a cookie sheet instead. Someone commented and said..."NO do not try to make these on a cookie sheet. The marshmallow inside melts along with the butter and other sugars and creates almost a syrup that gets soaked into the dough. In fact even in a muffin cup you run the risk of some of this syrup overflowing.If you try to make these on a cookie sheet they will leak and burn and you will end up throwing it away. Also,when they are baked they are hollow. The marshmallow melts and flavors the dough so don't expect to break one open and find it inside. I actually would suggest making these in jumbo cups just in case to avoid a mess."
  Anyways here are the other recipes I found, definitely use a muffin tin and you will have much better luck. In other news, you can use Peeps instead of the cinnamon/sugar marshmallow for added fun ;)
  http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/magic-marshmallow-crescent-puffs-recipe/index.html
  http://www.food.com/recipe/stuffed-cinnamon-crescent-rolls-126936
  http://www.livelovepasta.com/2012/03/cinnamon-sugar-marshmallow-crescent-roll-cupcakes/"
• There are also a ton of comments saying to try using mini marshmallows instead of the large ones. Could work. 
• And now for the Brown Sugar. Here's what I learned: 
• "All sugars, both brown and white included, start as sap in tropical sugarcane plants. Those are crushed, and the juice is extracted. It is then heated– a process that yields molasses. That molasses contains very dark sugar crystals. Manufacturers spin that in a centrifuge and the molasses is removed. The final product is white sugar. Decades ago, brown sugar was simply white sugar before all of the molasses was taken out. These days, though, brown sugar is white sugar where the molasses has been added back into the mix. The darker the sugar, the more molasses in the package. In most cases, you can use brown and white sugar interchangeably, but you may notice a real difference in the texture of your baked goods. Remember that brown sugar is naturally moister, so you can bet that your baked goods with be a bit softer and moister as well. What’s more is that your baked goods may come out slightly darker than you’d expected if you use brown sugar instead of the more traditional white sugar." - See more at: http://www.escali.com/blog/brown-sugar-vs-white-sugar-whats-the-difference/#sthash.oletQnt2.dpuf

So these can be done, but they are quite temperamental. With that said though...most people say that even when this one turns into a visual Pinstrosity, it's still a complete Pin Win in taste!