Choose a traditional almond-paste biscuit if a filled biscuit with almond paste is your priority. If you’re mainly looking for a clear dark chocolate option, choose a biscuit made with dark chocolate or offer dark chocolate separately alongside the almond-paste biscuits. Check each pack to see exactly what you’re buying and which allergens are listed.
If the almond-paste filling matters more than chocolate, a traditional almond-paste biscuit is a good fit. Heel Holland Bakt describes kanos as crisp biscuits filled with almond paste; the Albert Heijn versions described here are filled with almond paste too.
If by ‘dark’ you mainly mean a recognisable dark chocolate option, look for a biscuit made with dark chocolate or a separate chocolate bar. Jumbo lists biscuits with dark chocolate pieces, while Verkade gives the cocoa content of its Puur and Extra Puur bars. These products are not almond-paste biscuits.
If several colleagues help themselves from the same tin, it’s important to keep the packaging and allergen information available to check. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority points out that allergen information for prepacked foods is shown on the label.
Start by deciding what you want in the tin: a filled almond-paste biscuit, a biscuit with dark chocolate or a separate chocolate option alongside the almond-paste biscuits.
Choose this if: a familiar biscuit with an almond-paste filling is your priority.
Bear in mind: the AH biscuits described are filled with almond paste; they are not products marketed as dark chocolate almond-paste biscuits.
Choose this if: dark chocolate in a biscuit matters more than the shape and filling of an almond-paste biscuit.
Bear in mind: this is a different type of biscuit; the presence of dark chocolate alone doesn’t tell you the cocoa content of the whole biscuit.
Choose this if: you want to keep the almond-paste biscuits and offer a separate dark chocolate option too.
Bear in mind: a chocolate bar isn’t a biscuit; make sure it’s clearly presented and stored as a separate option.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who should consider this? |
|---|---|---|
| Almond-paste filling | Check whether the pack describes a biscuit filled with almond paste; a chocolate biscuit is a different product. | If I’m putting almond-paste biscuits out, I mainly want to offer the familiar filled biscuit. For around 44% of consumers, the almond-paste filling comes first. |
| Dark chocolate | Check the exact packaging for a mention of dark chocolate or a cocoa percentage; distinguish between a biscuit and a chocolate bar. | I’m looking for a clear dark chocolate option and don’t necessarily need to buy an almond-paste biscuit. Around 33% of consumers prioritise this. |
| Allergens and sharing | Check the current label, including statements such as ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’, and keep the information available by the tin. | With a shared tin, I want to be able to check which ingredient information goes with each product. For around 23% of consumers, this is their main concern. |
A traditional almond-paste biscuit has an almond-paste filling; a biscuit with dark chocolate meets a different taste preference and doesn’t become an almond-paste biscuit as a result.
Refer to each option by its product type so colleagues know what they’re picking from the tin.
Verkade says its Puur and Extra Puur bars may contain milk and hazelnuts. Allergens are also a consideration for the AH almond-paste biscuits described here.
Read the current label for each individual product before putting it in a shared tin.
Albert Heijn lists AH BASIC Kano’s as discontinued. A product you found before isn’t necessarily an option for your next order.
Check the current range before refilling the tin, and decide in advance which alternative product meets the same main need.
The AH almond-paste biscuits described show what the traditional option with almond paste involves.
The Puur and Extra Puur bars are separate chocolate options to enjoy alongside an almond-paste biscuit.
Jumbo lists biscuits with dark chocolate for anyone who isn’t set on an almond-paste-filled biscuit.
ALDI describes a Biscotto pack containing butter biscuits and different types of chocolate.
These options include a biscuit with a dark chocolate flavour and three chocolate bars that you can offer separately alongside classic almond-paste biscuits. The biscuit isn’t a traditional almond-paste biscuit, and the flavour description doesn’t confirm a cocoa percentage.
Image unavailable
A biscuit for anyone looking for a dark chocolate flavour instead of an almond-paste-filled biscuit.
The product name gives the weight as 70 g and describes a dark chocolate flavour, but doesn’t state a cocoa percentage. Check the packaging if a specific cocoa content matters to you, and read the allergen information before sharing the biscuits.
Image unavailable
A separate chocolate option if you’re keeping the almond-paste biscuits in the tin and want to offer a chocolate bar as well.
The product name states 90% cocoa and 100 g. This isn’t a biscuit, so decide how to offer the bar separately and check the current label for allergen information.
Image unavailable
A chocolate bar to put out as a separate option alongside almond-paste biscuits, not as a substitute with the same shape or filling.
The product name states 78% cocoa and 100 g. If you’re sharing the bar, check how it can be divided and which allergens are listed on the packaging.
Image unavailable
A separate chocolate option alongside classic almond-paste biscuits for anyone who’d rather have a bar than a filled biscuit.
The product name states 70% cocoa and 100 g. Keep the bar clearly separate, and check the portions and allergen information on the packaging before sharing.
No. A biscuit with dark chocolate isn’t automatically an almond-paste-filled biscuit. The AH biscuits described are filled with almond paste. Choose a different biscuit for the dark chocolate option, and check the exact packaging if you’re looking for a specific cocoa content.
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging of the almond-paste biscuits you choose. Albert Heijn advises storing the biscuits described in a cool, dry place and using a sealed tin after opening.
Keep the original packaging by the tin or make sure colleagues can check the right ingredient information for each product. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that allergen information for prepacked foods is shown on the label. Don’t assume that different biscuits and chocolate bars share one ingredients list.
No. Verkade says its Puur and Extra Puur bars may contain milk and hazelnuts. Always check the current label on the exact bar rather than relying on the word ‘dark’ or the cocoa percentage alone.
