Families who want to make cookies together
Children can help weigh, mix and cut out the dough. Choose a recipe with clear steps, and leave the oven to an adult. For example, Jumbo’s chocolate cookie recipe includes a step for cutting out the shapes.
Who are these options for?
Adults looking for a pronounced chocolate flavour
Look beyond the colour of the cookie: Albert Heijn Allerhande’s recipe includes both cocoa and dark chocolate. For packaged cookies, check which chocolate ingredients are listed and how much of each they contain.
Households that need to check allergens
If someone at the table has an allergy or dietary restriction, the current ingredients and allergen information matter more than the chocolate flavour shown on the front of the pack. Check the label again, even if you’ve bought the product before.
What should you look for when choosing?
First decide whether making cookies together is part of the afternoon’s plans. Ready-made cookies can be served straight away, but they don’t give children any dough to mix or cut out.
Bake them yourself
Choose this option: if the children want to help shape the cookies and you want to choose the dough ingredients yourself.
Bear in mind: you’ll need to prepare the ingredients, allow for any chilling time and have an adult supervise the oven.
Serve ready-made cookies
Choose this option: if you want to serve a cookie that lists dark chocolate as an ingredient, without having to make any dough.
Bear in mind: you’ll have less control over the ingredients, and the cookies themselves won’t be part of a baking activity.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Chocolate flavour | Check whether cocoa or dark chocolate is specifically mentioned. Only compare percentages if they refer to the same chocolate ingredient. | If I want a clear chocolate flavour for the adults too, I want to know what’s actually in the cookie. Around 42% of consumers prioritise this flavour profile. |
| Baking together | Choose a recipe with clear instructions for making, chilling and baking the dough, and decide which tasks the children can do. | If the children want to mix or cut out the dough, I need a recipe they can help make, rather than just cookies to hand out. Around 33% of consumers prioritise baking together. |
| Allergens | Read the ingredients and highlighted allergens on the current packaging. If you’re baking from scratch, check all the ingredients you use. | If someone at the table needs to avoid certain ingredients, I can’t rely on the colour or an old product description. Checking the label is the first concern for around 25% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming a dark colour means lots of cocoa
A product listing dark chocolate is not the same as one listing dark chocolate pieces. Albert Heijn says that AH Zaans huisje contains 63% dark chocolate; Jumbo says its Chocolate Cookies contain 40% dark chocolate pieces. These percentages refer to different ingredients, so they can’t be directly compared as a measure of the total cocoa content.
Check which ingredient the percentage refers to. If you want to choose the ingredients yourself, pick a baking recipe that lists cocoa and dark chocolate separately.
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Relying only on an online description when someone has an allergy
Ingredients and allergen information can change. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that allergens must be listed on the labels of prepacked foods.
Check the current packaging before serving, and go through all the ingredients if you’re baking from scratch.
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Letting children taste raw cookie dough
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, raw eggs and flour can contain harmful bacteria. So baking together doesn’t need to involve tasting the raw dough.
Let children help weigh or shape the dough, keep it out of reach so they can’t nibble on it, and only eat the cookies once they’re baked.
Brands to consider
Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn Allerhande has a basic recipe that includes cocoa and dark chocolate. Albert Heijn also lists ready-made biscuits with dark chocolate and choc-chip cookies made with both milk and dark chocolate.
- Recipes and product descriptions list specific ingredients or chocolate components.
- Albert Heijn warns that product information can change. If you have allergies, check the current packaging.
Jumbo
Jumbo offers a recipe for chocolate cookies you can cut into shapes, as well as ready-made Chocolate Cookies with dark chocolate pieces.
- The recipe gives clear instructions for shaping and baking the cookies, while the packaged cookies list 40% dark chocolate pieces.
- The packaged cookies mentioned contain gluten and wheat, and may also contain other allergens.
ALDI
ALDI describes its dark brown winter cookies with chocolate flavour and Fairtrade cocoa as a seasonal product.
- The product description makes clear that these are winter cookies with chocolate flavour.
- Check whether the seasonal product is available, and read the current label before serving.
Ready-made cookies on Joybuy
This cookie suits the option of serving something ready-made with a dark chocolate flavour during a baking afternoon. It isn’t dough that children can use to make their own cookies.
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Franzzi Premium Dark Chocolate Flavour Cookies 70 g
A ready-made cookie to serve during your baking session, rather than one to cut into shapes together. Joybuy’s product description mentions cocoa powder; check the packaging if the amount of cocoa or dark chocolate is important to your choice.
If you have allergies, check the current label before serving, particularly for wheat, milk, eggs and soya.
Frequently asked questions
Does ‘dark’ mean a cookie contains a lot of cocoa?
No. The name or colour alone doesn’t tell you the cocoa percentage. Check the label to see whether it lists cocoa, dark chocolate or chocolate pieces, and exactly what any percentage refers to.
What if someone has a food allergy at the baking session?
Check the current packaging of every ready-made cookie, as well as the labels of all the ingredients you use for baking from scratch. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergens must be clearly listed on the labels of prepacked foods. Don’t rely on an earlier pack or an online description alone.
Can children taste raw cookie dough?
Don’t let children taste raw cookie dough. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre points out that raw eggs and flour can contain harmful bacteria. Let children help with the preparation, and eat the cookies after they’ve been baked.
How should I store opened choc-chip cookies?
Store opened choc-chip cookies in a cool, dry, dark place in an airtight container, as recommended by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. Also follow the storage instructions on the packaging of the product you’ve bought.