Chocolate for Spiced Biscuit Bites: Coated or Plain?

Who is this choice relevant to?

Home bakers who want to dip them themselves

You’re baking spiced biscuit bites and want to choose the chocolate and how much to coat them with.

Bakers looking for a quick speculoos topping

You want to serve chocolate-coated speculoos straight away, break it into pieces or use it as a garnish, without adding a chocolate coating yourself.

Shoppers with an allergy or dietary requirement

Before using or sharing the product, check the current packaging for ingredients, allergens and any warnings about the possible presence of other allergens.

What should you look for when choosing?

Spiced biscuit bites with plain chocolate

Choose this: if you want to dip the biscuits yourself and control the chocolate coating.

Bear in mind: the baked biscuits need to cool completely first; then you melt the chocolate separately.

Chocolate-coated speculoos biscuits

Choose this: if you want to serve the biscuits straight away or use them in pieces as a garnish.

Bear in mind: the chocolate is already on the biscuit, so you can’t portion it separately to coat your spiced biscuit bites.

Bar with speculoos filling

Choose this: if you want to use pieces of filled chocolate in or on a bake.

Bear in mind: the filling and biscuit pieces change the flavour and texture compared with a coating of plain chocolate.

What to consider	What to check when buying	Who it matters to
Making your own chocolate coating	Choose plain chocolate for dipping and follow the steps in your recipe. Albert Heijn Allerhande recommends letting the baked biscuits cool completely first.	When I bake spiced biscuit bites myself, I want to be able to add and control the chocolate coating; around 40% of consumers prioritise making their own coating.
Serving or garnishing quickly	Check whether you’re buying a coated biscuit or a filled bar: they add different things to your bake.	When I don’t want to dip the biscuits, I look for something I can serve straight away or use in pieces. Around 30% of consumers prioritise this convenience.
Ingredients and allergens	Read the current ingredients list, allergen information and any warnings on the packaging about the possible presence of allergens.	When I’m baking for someone with an allergy or dietary requirement, I need to know what the addition contains before using it; around 30% of consumers give this check top priority.

Common mistakes

Buying a coated biscuit to dip spiced biscuit bites

Chocolate-coated speculoos biscuits already have chocolate on them. You can’t use them to control how much chocolate goes on each spiced biscuit bite in the same way.

If you want to dip them yourself, buy plain chocolate and let the baked biscuits cool completely before adding the coating.
Treating a filled bar like ordinary melting chocolate

The Hands Off Amsterdam Style Speculoos described by Jumbo contains speculoos filling and speculoos pieces as well as chocolate couverture. So you’re adding more than just a chocolate coating.

Use a bar like this when you want the filling and pieces. For a coating you apply yourself, follow a recipe that uses plain chocolate.
Relying on a vegan label alone

Albert Heijn’s product information describes Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Belgian chocolate as suitable for vegans, but also lists skimmed milk powder and milk fat among the ingredients.

If you’re following a vegan diet or have a milk allergy, don’t rely on that label alone. Check the current packaging and choose a product with ingredients that meet your needs.
Overlooking allergen warnings

Chocolate speculoos may contain wheat, milk or soya, among other ingredients. Some products also carry warnings about the possible presence of other allergens.

Check the packaging before buying, and again before serving the biscuits or bake to other people.

Brands to consider

Lotus Biscoff

The chocolate-coated speculoos biscuit reviewed here is suited to serving straight away or breaking into pieces to add to a bake, rather than using as plain chocolate for dipping.

According to Albert Heijn’s product information, Lotus Biscoff Speculoos Belgian chocolate contains 22% chocolate.
The listed ingredients include wheat, milk and soya. As the vegan label on the same product page conflicts with the listed milk ingredients, check the current packaging before deciding.

Hands Off

The Amsterdam Style Speculoos bar reviewed here is an option if you want to add pieces of filled chocolate to or on a bake.

According to Jumbo’s product information, the bar contains chocolate couverture, speculoos filling and speculoos pieces.
Because it contains filling and pieces, this bar isn’t a neutral substitute for plain chocolate. The product information lists wheat and soya, and warns of the possible presence of other allergens.

Jumbo

The Bakkers Speculaas reviewed here is uncoated speculaas. You can crumble it or serve it alongside a separately chosen chocolate addition.

Jumbo lists a 600 g pack and 1.6% spices for this variety.
This speculaas has no listed chocolate coating and isn’t dough for spiced biscuit bites. The product contains wheat; also check the warnings about the possible presence of almonds and nuts.

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Frequently asked questions

Can I use chocolate-coated speculoos biscuits to make chocolate-coated spiced biscuit bites?

Not as a direct substitute for plain chocolate to dip the biscuits in. In the Albert Heijn Allerhande recipe, you bake the biscuits, let them cool completely and then melt dark chocolate separately. A coated biscuit is better suited to serving or garnishing.

Which chocolate should I choose for dipping spiced biscuit bites?

The Albert Heijn Allerhande recipe uses dark chocolate with 72% cocoa. If you’d like to use milk or white chocolate, check the ingredients and allergen information on the packaging, and follow a recipe suited to that type of chocolate.

How should I store chocolate speculoos and leftover chocolate?

Follow the storage instructions and use-by or best-before date on the packaging. Albert Heijn and Jumbo’s product information recommends storing the chocolate speculoos products discussed here in a cool, dry place. The Voedingscentrum also advises following the storage information on chocolate packaging.

Where can I find allergen information for packaged chocolate speculoos?

According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergen information must appear on the label of prepacked food. Before buying or sharing the product, read the current ingredients list, allergen information and any warnings about the possible presence of allergens.