In Poland, chrusciki are popular at Carnival time. You’ll also find them served at Christmas or some Polish weddings. Prepare the dough with flour, sour cream, egg yolks, salt, sugar, and alcohol/vinegar. Add air into the dough by forming it into a ball and throwing it on a flat surface for some time. See the video below for more info.
Kruschiki dough is rich in eggs, and contains a shot of brandy. I remember eating raw dough as a child and feeling all warm inside. The dough is rolled thin, cut into rectangles, twisted into bows, and deep fried to a golden crispness. The cookies puff when fried, so there are air pockets when you bite them.
Repeat process with remaining dough. Heat shortening in a large (6-quart) pot over medium-high heat until it registers 375 degrees on a deep-fry thermometer. Working in small batches of about 7, fry chrusciki, turning once with a slotted spoon, until lightly browned, about 1 minute.
Martha likes to stack a tower of chrusciki on a pressed-glass cake stand, largest chrusciki first, to make a Christmas-tree formation. Put melted butter, eggs, egg yolks, granulated sugar, sour cream, salt, extracts, vinegar, and rum in the bowl of a standing mixer fitted with the paddle attachment.