Each batch of paczki requires 32 egg yolks and 16 egg whites, and that cost adds up at Creative Cakes Bakery in Tinley Park.

Short answer: no. Think of the paczek as the jelly doughnut’s lavish cousin. While a good jelly doughnut is light and airy, a paczek is denser and more brioche-lik, thanks to more eggs in the dough.

Fat Tuesday is here, which means that several Metro Detroiters are getting up early to pick up a dozen Paczki, a Polish pastry synonymous with this time of year.