Dexter Bakery, Busch's, Zingerman's Offer Handmade Paczki on Fat Tuesday

Today is Paczki Day, also known as Fat Tuesday, the day before Christians across the world enter into 40 days of penitence during the season of Lent.

Sugar, eggs and fat are traditionally combined to create paczki, traditional Polish doughnuts filled with fruit or cream and dusted with powdered sugar or glazed.

The popular treats sell out quick at local eateries, including the Dexter Bakery, where workers have been busy churning out the fried dough since Sunday evening.

"We expect to complete roughly 1,200 dozen between Monday and Tuesday, and that does not include wholesale and store orders," said Karen Dudek, the bakery's owner.

The bakery is offering all of the traditional flavors this year, including cream, blueberry, custard, prune, lemon, rasberry, strawberry, apple and chocolate.

The bakery will sell paczki from 5 a.m.-5 p.m. Tuesday — or until it sells out.

"I would recommend customers come early," Dudek said. "Last year, we had a line of people waiting for us to open."

Each paczek sells for $1.10.

Busch's in Dexter is selling paczki for 99 cents apiece, six-packs for $4.99 and 12-packs for $9.49. Flavors include Bavarian crème, raspberry, strawberry, apple, lemon, chocolate, blueberry and prune.

For the more adventurous, head over to Zingerman's Bakehouse in Ann Arbor, where chefs will be selling uniquely flavored paczki. Flavors include rose hip (the fruit of the rose plant), chocolate pudding and vanilla ricotta.

"This is the second year we're offering paczki for one day only," said Sara Richardson, marketing coordinator for the bakery. "Last year, we made 1,500 and sold out by 11 a.m. This year, we're starting at midnight (Monday) and plan to make 2,000, but they will sell quick."

Zingerman's paczki are priced at $2.95 each or $30 per dozen.