Cruller

Chocolate covered French cruller

A cruller is a type of doughnut. It is often covered or topped in icing, which may be chocolate. It is often twisted (rather than round) in shape and unraised. The word comes from early 19th century Dutch kruller, from krullen "to curl."

It is most commonly found in New England and the Mid-Atlantic and North Central states of the USA, but it is also common in California.

In 2003, the Dunkin Donuts chain of doughnut shops stopped carrying traditional crullers, claiming that the hand-shaped treats were too labor-intensive, and couldn't be simulated with new machines for mixing doughnut batter.

A French cruller is a doughnut made from choux pastry. They are usually shaped like a fluted ring and have a light airy texture. Sometimes these are also simply known as "crullers," but they have little resemblance to the other kind of cruller other than that they are both types of doughnuts.

In the "Once more, with feeling" episode of Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Xander's doughnut speech includes the line, "Respect the cruller, and tame the donut".