Fans of a bold dark chocolate flavour
You’re looking for a distinct dark chocolate flavour and want to know how much cocoa the chocolate contains. The word ‘dark’ or a percentage showing how much chocolate is in the biscuit won’t tell you that.
Who is this choice relevant to?
Shoppers who consider pack size
You’re choosing biscuits to enjoy with coffee or tea, or to serve to guests, and want the pack size and number of biscuits to suit how many you’ll use. A larger pack isn’t automatically more convenient if it takes you a long time to finish it.
Shoppers who need to check allergens
You’re buying for yourself or someone else with a food allergy. In that case, the ingredients and allergens in the exact variant matter more than the words ‘dark chocolate’ on the front of the pack.
What should you look for when choosing?
Start by distinguishing between the proportion of chocolate and its cocoa content. Then compare the nutritional information per 100 g and check the label on the pack you’re actually buying.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa and flavour | Look for the percentage of cocoa solids in the chocolate. Don’t confuse this with the proportion of chocolate in the whole biscuit. | If I specifically want a biscuit with a verifiably high cocoa content, I don’t want to have to rely on the word ‘dark’. Around 33% of consumers prioritise a cocoa content they can verify. |
| Pack size and storage | Check the weight, the number of biscuits and the storage advice after opening. | For coffee or guests, I want to have enough biscuits at home, but I don’t want to choose a pack that’s difficult to finish. For around 27% of consumers, finding the right pack size is the main concern. |
| Allergens and ingredients | Read the ingredients, allergens and any warnings about traces on the exact pack. | If I’m buying for someone with a food allergy, I need to know whether this variant contains suitable ingredients. Checking allergens is a top priority for around 27% of consumers. |
| Cocoa certification | Check that a certification mark is actually shown on the variant you’ve chosen; it doesn’t tell you the cocoa percentage. | If the origin of the cocoa is what matters most to me, I look for a statement on the product itself. Around 13% of consumers give cocoa certification their highest priority. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming ‘dark’ means a high cocoa percentage
Jumbo states that its Chocolade Biscuits Puur contain 63% chocolate. That isn’t the percentage of cocoa solids in that chocolate. You also can’t judge a biscuit’s cocoa content from that figure alone if it has a thinner layer of chocolate.
Is a specific cocoa content essential for you? Look for an explicit percentage of cocoa solids on the packaging.
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Assuming dark chocolate doesn’t contain milk
The dark chocolate biscuits described by Jumbo and Albert Heijn list ingredients including wheat, milk and soya. Possible traces vary between variants.
If you have a food allergy, check the ingredients and allergens on the pack every time, even if you’ve bought a product with the same name before.
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Relying on an online product description alone
Product information can change. For an in-store product, you may only find the details you need to assess its cocoa content, nutritional information or allergens on the packaging.
So check the current label before making a choice based on these properties.
Brands to consider
Biscuits, chocolate layers and packaging vary across these brands. So assess the exact variant, not just the brand name.
Verkade
Verkade Verk digestive puur is a wheat biscuit topped with dark chocolate.
- Albert Heijn’s product information states that it contains 30% dark chocolate, 4.2 g of fibre and 28 g of sugars per 100 g.
- This variant contains wheat, milk and soya. Albert Heijn marked it as discontinued on the product page consulted; check the current packaging and availability if you’re looking for it.
Albert Heijn
AH Gesuikerde biscuits pure chocolade combine a biscuit with a dark chocolate coating and decorative sugar.
- Albert Heijn lists a 400 g pack with a 27% dark chocolate coating.
- The nutritional information lists 35 g of sugars per 100 g. The percentage of chocolate coating doesn’t indicate the cocoa content; check the allergens for this variant too.
Jumbo
Jumbo lists both Chocolade Biscuits Puur and a digestive biscuit with dark chocolate.
- According to Jumbo, Chocolade Biscuits Puur contain 63% chocolate. Digestive Biscuit Pure Chocolade lists 30% dark chocolate, 4.1 g of fibre and 27.4 g of sugars per 100 g.
- These figures describe different products and don’t indicate the cocoa percentage of the chocolate used. Check the allergens for each variant.
Sondey
Lidl describes Sondey Digestives pure chocolade as a 300 g in-store product.
- The product description makes clear that it’s a digestive biscuit with dark chocolate.
- Check the label on the pack you choose for ingredients, allergens and nutritional information.
Biscotto
ALDI describes Biscotto Chocoladekoekjes as butter biscuits with different types of chocolate.
- The description states that the pack contains 20 biscuits, individually wrapped in pairs.
- The pack includes dark, white and milk chocolate, so it isn’t a dark-chocolate-only option.
Related products on Joybuy
Related products coming soon.
Frequently asked questions
Does ‘dark chocolate’ mean a biscuit has a high cocoa content?
No, the wording alone doesn’t confirm a specific cocoa content. A percentage of chocolate may refer to the proportion of chocolate in the whole biscuit. To check the cocoa content, look for an explicit percentage of cocoa solids in the chocolate.
How do I compare the nutritional information for different biscuits?
Compare the same nutritional values per 100 g, such as sugars and fibre. Voedingscentrum recommends using this basis when comparing products. Also check the ingredients, serving size and proportion of chocolate, without using that last figure to infer the cocoa percentage.
Which allergens should I look out for in dark chocolate biscuits?
Check the allergens on the packaging of the exact variant. The products described by Jumbo and Albert Heijn list ingredients including wheat, milk and soya; warnings about possible traces may vary between biscuits.