For your TV night, start by choosing the biscuit texture and portion size: a biscuit with a chocolate coating, a cookie with chocolate chips or a pre-portioned pack will each make for a different kind of snack. If you’re mainly comparing an intense cocoa flavour with a less sweet biscuit, look beyond the word ‘dark’: the proportion of chocolate in a biscuit is not the same as its cocoa percentage. Also compare sugars, saturated fat and allergens on the current packaging.
For a TV night, would you rather have chocolate on your biscuit than separate chocolate chips in a cookie? Compare the proportion of chocolate in the product. This figure doesn’t tell you how much cocoa the chocolate contains.
A portion size given in grams, or a pack containing two biscuits per portion, can help you set aside the right amount in advance. A stated portion size doesn’t necessarily mean the biscuits are individually wrapped.
Do you need to avoid wheat, milk, soya or possible traces of nuts? Check the ingredients and allergen information on the current packaging; the word ‘dark’ doesn’t tell you whether these are present.
First, decide which biscuit shape and portion size suit your TV night. Then use the nutritional information and ingredients to compare products on a like-for-like basis.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate flavour and texture | Check whether the chocolate comes as a coating, filling or separate pieces. If it will influence your choice, look separately for an explicitly stated cocoa percentage. | I mainly want to taste the chocolate, but I also want to know whether I’m buying a coated biscuit or a cookie with chocolate chips. Around 29% of consumers prioritise this choice of flavour and texture. |
| Portion size | Compare the weight in grams and number of biscuits per portion; check separately whether portions are individually wrapped. | For a long night of watching TV, I want to set aside biscuits in advance rather than keep reaching into an open pack. A clearly defined portion is a priority for around 29% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the current packaging for both the listed allergens and warnings about possible traces. | If an allergen matters to me, a suitable ingredients list comes before flavour. For around 21% of consumers, checking this is their main concern. |
| Sharing and sweetness | Check the number of biscuits in the pack and compare sugars and saturated fat per 100 g; use the portion weight in grams to put the figures into context. | I want biscuits I can share, while also seeing how their nutritional values compare. This combination matters most to around 21% of consumers. |
For its Dark Chocolate Biscuits, Jumbo states that chocolate makes up 63% of the product. This isn’t the cocoa percentage of that chocolate, so it doesn’t prove that the flavour is more bitter.
If cocoa flavour is what matters most, look for a separate cocoa percentage. Use the proportion of chocolate to compare different types of biscuit.
The Lotus Biscoff and LU varieties described here contain wheat, milk and soya, among other ingredients; possible traces of other allergens are also mentioned.
Before buying, check the current ingredients list and both ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements on the packaging.
A pre-portioned pack makes it clear how much you’re having, but that alone says nothing about sugars or saturated fat. For example, Albert Heijn lists 15 g of saturated fat per 100 g for LU Scholiertje Dark Chocolate.
Compare the nutritional values per 100 g, then check how many grams are in a portion.
The name McVitie’s Digestives isn’t a reason to assume the biscuits aid digestion. Jumbo’s product information explicitly states that the ingredients contain no substances that promote digestion.
Choose these biscuits for their flavour, texture and label information, not for an assumed effect.
Verkade Duo’tjes Chocolade are oat biscuits with a cream filling and dark chocolate, sold in a small pack.
The dark chocolate variety combines speculoos with chocolate and is sold by Lotus Bakeries in a pack of 7 × 3 pieces.
In this comparison, Jumbo offers both a biscuit with a dark chocolate coating and cookies with dark chocolate chips.
LU Scholiertje Dark Chocolate is a butter biscuit topped with a bar of dark chocolate. A portion consists of two biscuits, weighing 25 g in total.
McVitie’s Digestives Dark Chocolate are wheat biscuits with a dark chocolate coating.
Here you’ll find a digestive biscuit with a dark chocolate coating alongside two cookies with a dark chocolate flavour. Choose based on the type of biscuit, and check the packaging if the cocoa percentage or a fixed portion size is important to you.
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A wheat biscuit with a chocolate coating for anyone who prefers a coated biscuit to a cookie with chocolate chips. Jumbo lists 30% dark chocolate and 26.6 g of sugars per 100 g for this variety. If they will influence your choice, check the cocoa percentage and portion information on the current packaging.
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A cookie option for anyone who’d prefer this type of biscuit during a TV night to a digestive with a chocolate coating. The pack contains 72 g. ‘Dark chocolate flavour’ doesn’t confirm a high cocoa percentage; also check the portion information and nutritional details on the current packaging.
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A 70 g pack for anyone looking for cookies with a dark chocolate flavour. If you want to set aside individual biscuits in advance, check how they’re packaged. Before comparing them with the other biscuits, check the current packaging for the proportion of chocolate, cocoa percentage and nutritional information.
No, the word ‘dark’ alone doesn’t tell you the cocoa percentage of the chocolate. A statement such as ‘63% chocolate’ on Jumbo Dark Chocolate Biscuits describes the proportion of chocolate in the whole biscuit. If it matters to you, look for a separately stated cocoa percentage.
At the very least, check the current packaging for any allergens that are relevant to you. The varieties described here include wheat, milk and soya, among other ingredients; some also mention possible traces of nuts. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains the rules on declaring allergens on the labels of pre-packed foods.
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging and seal an opened pack properly. Jumbo’s product information for the biscuits and cookies described here recommends storing them in a cool, dry place and resealing the pack securely after opening.
No, the name alone doesn’t give you the full nutritional picture. Compare sugars and saturated fat per 100 g, and also check the portion size. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that chocolate also contains saturated fat and calories.
