Hosts welcoming a mixed group
You’ll want to put out plenty of biscuits in a range of flavours. If you’re serving a mixed platter, keep the packaging for each variety to hand so you can answer questions about ingredients and allergens.
Who are these choices relevant to?
Anyone serving biscuits with coffee
You’ll want to hand out biscuits easily, even if guests don’t all sit down at the same time. Varieties packed in twos or threes offer a different way to serve them from an open platter.
Anyone catering for dietary requirements and allergies
You need to check the ingredients, allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings for the exact product. A previous purchase or a label on a different variety is no substitute.
What should you look for when choosing?
First decide how you want to serve the biscuits and which guests need to avoid specific ingredients. Then compare the type of chocolate, the filling and the quantity in each pack.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Allergens and dietary requirements | Check the ingredients, allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the current packaging for each variety. Check any dietary claim on that same product. | If a guest needs to avoid certain ingredients, I want to check the label before putting anything out. This is the top priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Serving and sharing | Compare the number of biscuits and check whether they’re packaged individually, in twos or in threes. | When guests arrive at different times, I want to be able to hand out biscuits in small portions. Around 29% of consumers prioritise this convenience when serving. |
| Chocolate and filling | Check whether the biscuits are made with dark chocolate, milk chocolate or chocolate-flavoured icing, and whether they have a filling. | For a platter with a variety of flavours, I want to know what’s beneath the chocolate. Around 21% of consumers prioritise this choice of flavour. |
| Quantity | Compare the stated number of biscuits and the total weight with the number of guests and how you plan to serve them. | For a larger group, I want to estimate how many biscuits I can hand out. Quantity is the main consideration for around 14% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming vegan means allergen-free
A vegan label doesn’t tell you whether a biscuit contains wheat, soya or other relevant allergens. Suitability also varies from one variety to another.
Ask about relevant allergies in advance, then check both the ingredients and any ‘may contain’ warnings on every pack you choose.
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Assuming all chocolate coatings are the same
A layer of dark chocolate, a milk chocolate coating and icing with a milk chocolate flavour are different product descriptions. A cream filling also changes what you’re serving.
Compare the product description and ingredients if you want to combine different types on one platter.
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Looking only at the size of a large pack
The weight doesn’t always tell you how many individual biscuits or portions a pack contains. That matters when you’re planning a portion for every guest.
Check the number of biscuits and how they’re packaged, and check shortly before buying that the exact pack is available.
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Treating online information as the definitive label
Product ingredients and allergen information can change. The product page you used to make your choice may not match the packaging you serve.
Check the label on the pack you’ve bought shortly before serving, and keep the packaging handy in case guests have questions.
Brands to consider
These brands offer a range of biscuit types and pack formats. Always check the chocolate, filling and allergens for each individual variety.
Verkade
Verkade offers biscuits with dark chocolate, as well as filled biscuits coated in milk chocolate.
- Albert Heijn lists Verkade Digestive Puur as containing 30% dark chocolate. Verkade describes its Choco Biscuit Karamelsmaakvulling as a biscuit with cream and milk chocolate.
- Ingredients and possible traces vary by product. If you have questions about allergies, check each Verkade pack separately.
Lotus Biscoff
Lotus Biscoff offers chocolate-coated speculoos varieties in small portions.
- Jumbo describes one chocolate variety as individually packaged in threes and one dark chocolate variety as packaged in twos.
- The dark chocolate variety described by Jumbo lists milk, wheat and soya. Check the dietary and allergen information on the exact pack.
Biscotto
Biscotto is an ALDI own-label brand with chocolate varieties for anyone looking to serve several biscuits.
- ALDI Nederland describes a pack of Chocoladekoekjes with 20 biscuits, packaged in twos, and Sprenkeltjes weighing 400 g, with around 30 biscuits.
- Check which variety is available at your store and read the ingredients on your chosen pack before putting together a mixed platter.
Oreo
Oreo offers a coated variety with cocoa biscuits and a vanilla-flavoured filling, packaged in pairs.
- Albert Heijn describes the outer layer of this variety as icing with a milk chocolate flavour, distinguishing it from milk chocolate.
- The variety described lists milk, soya and wheat. Check the current packaging before serving.
Treats for the festive table
These Joybuy products include biscuits and related chocolate snacks in a range of flavours and pack sizes. A wafer or biscuit stick isn’t the same as a biscuit, so choose the type you actually want to serve. If you have dietary questions, check the label.
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Nestle KitKat Strawberry Short Cake, 9 stuks, 104,4 g
A good choice if you’d like to serve a strawberry flavour alongside the usual chocolate varieties. The pack states 9 pieces and 104,4 g; check the ingredients and whether the pieces are individually wrapped before handing them out.
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Glico Pocky Cookie Bar Chocolate Flavor, 47 g IN
An option if you’d like to offer biscuit sticks alongside regular chocolate biscuits. This is the 47 g pack, marked as variety IN. Check the pack to see how many sticks it contains and what ingredients they include.
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LU Scholiertje Milk Chocolate Biscuits, 150 g
Ideal for a platter if you want to include a biscuit with milk chocolate. The pack contains 150 g; check the number of biscuits and the ingredients if you’re planning portions for guests.
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Verkade GV Oaties Milk Chocolate, 150 g
An oat biscuit with milk chocolate for anyone looking to serve a range of biscuit types. The pack contains 150 g. Don’t assume it’s suitable for a particular diet based on the abbreviation GV; check the full label instead.
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KitKat Gold Wafer Chocolate Salted Caramel Flavor, 9 stuks
A good choice if you’d like to serve a salted caramel-flavoured wafer as an alternative to biscuits. The pack states 9 pieces; check the ingredients and how they’re packaged before setting them out for guests.
Frequently asked questions
Should I check every pack for allergens when serving biscuits to a group?
Yes. Check the current packaging for every variety you’re serving. Your Europe explains that allergens in prepacked foods must be highlighted in the ingredients list. Also check any ‘may contain’ warnings if they’re relevant to a guest.
Is a vegan chocolate biscuit also suitable for someone with a gluten or soya allergy?
Not automatically: vegan, gluten-free and soya-free are different product characteristics. Check the ingredients and allergens on the exact pack rather than assuming one label means another.
How should I store chocolate biscuits until the Christmas party?
Follow the storage advice on the packaging you’ve chosen. Albert Heijn advises storing Verkade Digestive Puur in a cool, dry and dark place; don’t assume the same advice applies to another variety.
Can I rely on the product page for allergen information?
Use the product page to help you decide, but also check the label on the pack you’ve bought before serving. That way, guests can check the ingredients and any warnings for that particular pack.