For your Christmas market, start by choosing how you’ll serve the biscuits: individually wrapped portions are ideal for handing out quickly, while a larger pack may be more practical for a serving platter. Then check whether they’re chocolate-coated, which type of chocolate is specified and what the current label says about allergens and storage.
When there’s a steady queue, pre-portioned biscuits are handy as you won’t need to portion them out from an opened pack each time. Lotus Biscoff lists its chocolate speculoos biscuits in packs of 7 × 3; ALDI describes its Biscotto chocolate biscuits as individually wrapped in pairs. Check that the pack you choose suits the portion you want to hand out.
For self-service, a larger pack may be more suitable than individually wrapped portions. Jumbo lists its Digestive Biscuit Milk Chocolate as a 300 g pack with around 18 portions. This serving style also means you’ll need to follow the storage advice on the pack once it’s opened.
If you need to take an allergy, intolerance or dietary preference into account, check the exact variety and its current label. The examples from Lotus Biscoff and Jumbo mentioned here include ingredients such as milk, wheat or gluten, and soya. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority stresses that consumers need access to allergen information before buying.
First decide how you want to serve the biscuits, then check the type of biscuit, the packaging and the label for the exact variety.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Portions and serving | Check how many biscuits are in each inner pack and whether you can reseal an opened pack. | I want to hand visitors a set portion quickly, without having to divide up the biscuits at my stall. Portioning convenience is the top priority for around 36% of consumers. |
| Coating and flavour | Check whether the description mentions a coating and specifies the type of chocolate and biscuit base. | A biscuit with chocolate chips alone won’t suit my plan to serve coated biscuits. Around 29% of consumers prioritise this combination of coating and flavour. |
| Allergens and labelling | Read the current label for the exact variety. If selling loose biscuits, make sure allergen information is available before purchase. | If visitors need to ask about ingredients, I want to have the pack information to hand. Checking the label is the top priority for around 21% of consumers. |
| Quantity and availability | Compare the weight with the number of usable portions, and check with your chosen shop shortly before the event to confirm the exact variety is available. | I need to be able to plan enough biscuits for serving without having to switch to a different pack. This practical consideration is the top priority for around 14% of consumers. |
A cookie with chocolate chips isn’t the same as a biscuit with a chocolate coating. This difference affects the look and type of biscuit you’ll be serving on a platter or at your stall.
Read the product description carefully. Albert Heijn, for example, describes AH Choc chip coated melk as having a 35% milk chocolate coating as well as 5.2% dark chocolate chips.
The same weight can work out differently if you want to hand out set portions rather than put biscuits on a platter.
Check the number of biscuits and the inner packaging too. Jumbo lists around 18 portions for its 300 g Digestive pack; ALDI describes a Biscotto pack of 20 biscuits, wrapped in pairs.
The ingredients in the exact variety matter for visitors who need to avoid certain ingredients. Albert Heijn warns that product information can change.
So check the current label every time you buy. If selling loose biscuits, make sure visitors can get allergen information before they buy, as advised by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.
An online listing doesn’t tell you whether the exact pack will be in your local shop when your Christmas market takes place.
Check with your chosen store shortly before the event, and decide in advance which alternative biscuit meets the same serving and labelling requirements.
Always compare the specific product variety: the biscuit, chocolate coating and packaging can vary within the same brand.
Lotus Biscoff’s chocolate speculoos biscuits are worth considering if you’re after caramelised speculoos flavour rather than a standard biscuit.
Jumbo Digestive Biscuit Milk Chocolate is a good fit for a platter or coffee station where visitors can help themselves.
AH Choc chip coated melk is worth considering if you’re specifically looking for a cookie described as having a milk chocolate coating.
The Biscotto chocolate biscuits described by ALDI combine butter biscuits with dark, white and milk chocolate.
Sondey is Lidl’s biscuit range, worth exploring if you’d like to find another suitable chocolate variety in store.
This selection includes milk chocolate biscuits and biscuit sticks for serving at a Christmas market. Sticks are a different shape from a traditional biscuit, so check whether the chocolate coating and portion sizes suit the way you plan to serve them.
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A biscuit option if you’d like to offer milk chocolate at your Christmas market. Before planning how to serve them, check the current pack to see how the chocolate is applied, how the biscuits are portioned and which allergens are listed.
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An option if biscuit sticks would work better than ordinary biscuits on your serving platter. If you want to hand out set portions, check how the sticks are packed and read the current label before serving.
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A small pack of cookie sticks if you’re considering a different biscuit shape. If you want to give each visitor a set portion, check the number of sticks, the exact chocolate coating and the allergens listed on the current pack.
Yes. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergen information must be available to consumers before they buy loose biscuits. So keep information about the exact products you’re offering accessible in case visitors ask for it.
No. Chocolate chips in a biscuit don’t mean it has a coating. Check whether the description specifically mentions a chocolate layer: for AH Choc chip coated melk, Albert Heijn distinguishes the milk chocolate coating from the dark chocolate chips.
Use the online information to help shortlist a product, but check the current label on the pack you buy. Albert Heijn says that ingredients, nutritional values and allergen information can change.
Follow the storage advice for the variety you’ve chosen, and seal an opened pack if the label says to. Jumbo advises sealing its Digestive Biscuit Milk Chocolate well after opening and storing it in a dark place; storage advice may differ for other biscuits.
