Donna Kelce’s Famous Dinner Rolls Are Thanksgiving Magic

Last fall, when Jason Kelce appeared on the YouTube show, Mythical Kitchen, I learned about a Thanksgiving day staple that always appears on the Kelce family table. During the interview, Jason raves to host Josh Sherer about his mother's famous dinner rolls. “Every Thanksgiving, there was always a different meat,” he tells Sherer, “the one constant my mom always has to make is the Mama Kelce Dinner Rolls.”

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After seeing Mama Kelce’s Dinner Rolls make their rounds across social media during the following weeks, it’s been hard to ignore the obvious genius behind the recipe. Based on a classic 54 year-old Pillsbury Bake-Off winning recipe, Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs, Donna’s version is what happens when you have years of experience baking for your family under your belt.

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I was intrigued by the combination of ingredients (marshmallows? cinnamon sugar?) used in these little rolls, plus I was curious to get a little first-hand knowledge of what Travis and Taylor might be having for Thanksgiving dinner, so I headed to the kitchen to give these a try.

Get the recipe: Magic Marshmallow Crescent Puffs

Ingredients for Donna Kelce's Dinner Rolls

The best part about this recipe is the short list of ingredients and the fact that the rolls only take 30 minutes to make. For the rolls, you’ll need sugar, flour, cinnamon, two 8-ounce cans of Pillsbury Original Crescent Rolls (8-count), large marshmallows and melted butter or margarine.

For the glaze, you'll need powdered sugar, vanilla extract, milk and chopped nuts.

Related: I Tried Donna Kelce's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies

How to Make Donna Kelce's Dinner Rolls

To get started, preheat your oven to 375° and spray a muffin pan with cooking spray. Melt some butter in a small bowl, then mix sugar, flour and cinnamon together in another small bowl. Next, separate the crescent roll dough into 16 separate triangles.

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For each roll, dip 1 marshmallow into the melted butter, making sure to cover all sides before coating it in the cinnamon sugar. Take the cinnamon sugar-covered marshmallow and place it on the wide end of one of the crescent roll triangles. Pull the dough around the sides of the marshmallow, then roll the marshmallow up in the dough, working from the wide end to the point. This process might take some finessing, but the goal is to cover the marshmallow entirely in the dough. Once you've done that, pinch the edges of the dough firmly to seal in the marshmallow.

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Dip on end of the rolls in the remaining melted butter and place into a muffin cup butter side down. Repeat until you have filled your muffin tin. Bake for 12 to 15 minutes, or until the rolls are golden brown. Pro tip: Place foil or a cookie sheet on the rack below the muffin tray to catch any unexpected marshmallow spills. Let the rolls cool in the muffin tin for a minute, then transfer them to a wire rack set over waxed paper to cool.

For the glaze, mix powdered sugar, vanilla extract and milk until the mixture is a good drizzling consistency. Drizzle the glaze over the warm rolls and sprinkle with chopped nuts. Serve warm.

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What I Thought of Donna Kelce's Dinner Rolls

I honestly wasn't sure what to expect going into this recipe. I had an idea obviously, solely based on the reviews the Kelce brothers were giving the rolls, but I found myself wondering if a cinnamon-sugar-glazed marshmallow was enough to bring crescent rolls to the next level.

Boy was I shown otherwise, as the melted marshmallow brought a delicious sweet and gooey element to the carb-y party. I don't have Mama Kelce's magic touch, so a few rolls did burst at the seams during the baking process, leaving me with a few that were a gooey mess. The marshmallow breach didn't affect the flavor and I actually found that I quite enjoyed the messier ones.

Related: I Made Mama Kelce's Famous Chocolate Chip Cookies and They Just Hit Different

Though I'm not 100% sure you need the powdered sugar glaze and the nuts, those finishing touches did take the rolls to the next level. I chose to use a leftover cinnamon granola with sunflower seeds that I had in my cabinet, but any chopped nut will work perfectly here.

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Tips for Making Donna Kelce's Dinner Rolls

• Be serious about sealing. Do your best to seal off any opening where melted marshmallows may leak out. Pinch the dough seams together and double-check for any leftover cracks or openings. While the end result will still be delicious, keeping the marshmallow inside of the dinner roll—instead of all over your muffin tray—is the goal here.
• Experiment with other ingredients. Feel free to experiment with other ingredients to personalize this recipe for yourself and your family. Maybe add a little chunk of chocolate inside and a sprinkling of graham cracker crumbs on top for fun s'mores version? Or maybe a drizzle of warmed jam on the top for a fruity take?

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