Choose dark chocolate cookies as a planned snack well before or after an intense training session, rather than assuming they’re suitable fuel just beforehand. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against large portions and high-fat foods shortly before exercise, so compare the nutritional information per portion and check the ingredients and allergen information on the label.
You’re looking for something sweet, but don’t want to eat a large or high-fat portion just before an intense run. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises taking portion size and fat content into account when planning what to eat around exercise.
Taste is your main priority, and you want to know how much you’ll have at each snack time. A stated portion size or a pack containing two cookies can help, as long as you compare it with what you actually eat.
You want to check what’s in the specific cookie and which allergens are listed on the packaging before you buy. The ingredients and allergen information vary between the products discussed here.
First decide when you want to eat the cookie. Then compare the portion you’re planning to have with the nutritional information; the type of chocolate and the ingredients will help answer questions about taste and labelling.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Timing and stomach comfort | Compare fat per 100 g and per planned portion, and consider when your intense training session is. | If I’m going for a run soon after a snack, I want to avoid a large or high-fat portion feeling uncomfortable. That’s why around 45% of consumers put timing first. |
| Carbohydrates and portion size | Check the carbohydrates per portion and how many cookies that portion includes. | For a planned snack, I want to know what I’ll get from the amount I eat, rather than comparing figures per 100 g alone. Around 33% of consumers give portion size top priority. |
| Taste and ingredients | Check the type of chocolate, the ingredients and the latest allergen information; don’t confuse the proportion of chocolate with a cocoa percentage. | I’m looking for a particular dark chocolate flavour, but I also need to check whether the ingredients are suitable for me. Around 22% of consumers consider this combination the most important factor. |
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against large portions and high-fat foods shortly before exercise. The nutritional information for the cookies discussed here shows that fat content is worth considering.
It’s better to plan a cookie for a snack time you’ve already tried during training. Don’t try a new product for the first time just before a long run or race.
Dark chocolate pieces, a chocolate coating and a stated proportion of dark chocolate describe different things. They don’t provide a like-for-like ranking of cocoa content.
If cocoa content is a deciding factor, check the product description and the label for the specific cookie.
The stated portions for the products discussed range from 14 g to 25 g. A comparison per 100 g therefore doesn’t tell you what you’ll get from one planned snack.
Compare carbohydrates, fat and sugars per 100 g and per portion, and check how many cookies make up a portion.
The cookies discussed have different allergen information, including warnings that other allergens may be present. If you need to avoid an ingredient, check the information on the pack you’re buying.
Before buying and eating the product, check the latest ingredients and allergen information on the packaging, even if you’ve bought it before.
These brands illustrate different types of dark chocolate cookies. The details below apply to the specific products mentioned, not to a brand’s entire range.
AH Zaans huisje pure chocolate is a 125 g butter biscuit with a stated portion size of 14 g.
Jumbo Chocolate Cookies met Stukjes Pure Chocolade comes in a 225 g pack; Jumbo states that it contains twelve portions of 18.75 g.
The McVitie's Digestives Pure Chocolade discussed here combine a wheat biscuit with a layer of dark chocolate.
LU Scholiertje Puur combines a butter biscuit with dark chocolate and, according to the product information, is packaged as two cookies per portion.
If you’re looking for a dark chocolate-flavoured cookie as a planned snack, well before or after an intense training session, this is a product to assess by checking the label and portion size. The description ‘chocolate flavour’ doesn’t, by itself, confirm a particular cocoa content.
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An option if you’re looking for a dark chocolate-flavoured cookie for a planned snack. The pack contains 70 g; check the label for nutritional information per portion, ingredients and allergens before planning to eat it around a training session.
Not necessarily. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises against eating a large portion or foods high in fat, protein or fibre shortly before exercise. Check the portion size and nutritional information for the specific cookie, and don’t try a new product for the first time just before a long run or race.
Compare the amount of carbohydrates in the portion you actually plan to eat. The products discussed list portions ranging from 14 g to 25 g, so comparing per 100 g alone won’t show you what you’ll get from one snack. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre also highlights the role of carbohydrates in your overall diet when taking part in endurance sports.
No. The description ‘dark’ doesn’t, by itself, give you a comparable percentage of cocoa solids. A product may contain chocolate pieces, a chocolate coating or a stated proportion of dark chocolate. If cocoa content matters to your choice, check the description and ingredients for the specific pack.
Check the latest ingredients list and allergen information on the pack you’re buying. The products discussed have different declarations, including ingredients such as wheat, milk and soya, as well as warnings that other allergens may be present.
Chocolate can contribute to your total caffeine intake; the Netherlands Nutrition Centre lists chocolate as a product that contains caffeine. If you’re keeping an eye on your intake, also consider what else you drink or consume around your training, without assuming how much caffeine a cookie contains based on its chocolate flavour alone.
