Choose ready-made speculaas with dark chocolate if you want something you can serve without any preparation and can check the current packaging for the chocolate’s cocoa content. If you want to choose the cocoa percentage yourself, you can pair plain speculaas with a separate bar of dark chocolate. This means buying two products, and if anyone has allergies, you’ll need to check both packs.
You want the chocolate to stand out alongside the speculaas spices. To compare options, check the stated cocoa percentage of the chocolate component; the words ‘dark’ and ‘bitter’ don’t tell you the percentage in a particular bar.
You’re looking for something you can put straight on the table. Before you shop, check whether a ready-made product is actually available: Albert Heijn marks its Speculaas Met Pure Chocolade as discontinued on the product page.
You need to be able to check whether both the biscuit and the chocolate are suitable. Read the ingredients and allergen information on the exact packs, including any warnings about cross-contamination; don’t rely on the term ‘dark chocolate’.
Choose this if: you want to serve a single biscuit product without any preparation and the packaging states your preferred cocoa percentage.
Bear in mind: ‘dark chocolate’ alone doesn’t confirm a high cocoa percentage. Albert Heijn also marks its Speculaas Met Pure Chocolade as discontinued.
Choose this if: you want to choose the cocoa percentage yourself and serve the two products together.
Bear in mind: you won’t be buying ready-made speculaas with chocolate; you’ll need to check the ingredients and allergens on each pack separately.
For an Easter treat featuring speculaas and a hint of dark chocolate, the key things to consider are cocoa percentage, ease of serving and label information.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa percentage | Check the percentage of cocoa solids on the chocolate component’s packaging. A product name containing ‘dark’ doesn’t, on its own, confirm a percentage of 70% or more. | I want the chocolate flavour to come through clearly alongside the speculaas, so I look for a stated cocoa percentage first. This is the top priority for around 50% of consumers. |
| Ready to serve | Check that the exact product is available and whether the chocolate is already on or in the biscuit, or needs to be bought separately. | If I’m short on time when setting the Easter table, a product that’s ready to serve matters more than making my own combination. Around 30% of consumers give this top priority. |
| Allergens and labelling | Read the ingredients, allergens and any ‘may contain’ statement for both products. Compare nutritional values per 100 g if serving sizes differ. | Before serving, I need to know which ingredients and allergens are in the biscuit and chocolate I’ve chosen. For around 20% of consumers, this is the most important thing to check. |
According to the Voedingscentrum, dark chocolate contains at least 35% cocoa. That doesn’t tell you how much cocoa is in the chocolate used in a particular speculaas product.
Look for the percentage of cocoa solids on the current packaging. If you want to choose a particular percentage, a separately labelled bar is an option you can check.
Albert Heijn marks AH Speculaas Met Pure Chocolade as discontinued on its product page. Don’t count on it for a planned brunch.
Check availability before you shop, and consider pairing plain speculaas with dark chocolate as an alternative.
Putting together an alternative takes extra preparation time.
Allergen information varies by product. If you’re pairing chocolate with speculaas, you’ll also need to check the biscuit packaging.
Read the allergen information and any ‘may contain’ warning on both exact packs, especially if someone with a food allergy will be eating with you.
Values per serving are difficult to compare when the biscuits and chocolate come in different serving sizes. The Voedingscentrum recommends comparing products per 100 g.
Use the nutritional information per 100 g to compare things such as sugars and fats, and also read the ingredients list to see what you’re buying.
A starting point for ready-made speculaas with dark chocolate.
An option for comparing speculaas with a separate bar of dark chocolate.
Worth considering if you want to pair speculaas with very dark chocolate.
A reference point for separate bars of dark chocolate with a stated cocoa percentage.
A biscuit option if you want to serve speculoos with your choice of dark chocolate.
These chocolate bars suit the option of choosing your own cocoa percentage and serving the chocolate alongside speculaas bought separately. None of the bars is speculaas; check the labels on both products before serving.
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For serving a separate chocolate bar with 85% cocoa alongside speculaas. This product doesn’t contain speculaas; choose the biscuit separately and, if anyone has allergies, check the exact packaging of both products.
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For serving a separate bar with 70% cocoa alongside speculaas. You’ll need to choose the speculaas separately; if anyone has allergies, check the current ingredients and warnings for both products.
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For creating your own combination of speculaas and a separate bar with 70% cocoa. This isn’t a speculaas product. The product description lists milk and soya and mentions possible nuts; if anyone has allergies, check the exact packaging.
No. The Voedingscentrum states that dark chocolate contains at least 35% cocoa. If you’re looking for a specific percentage to serve with speculaas, check the cocoa solids content on the packaging.
Not if you specifically want to choose chocolate with a high cocoa percentage. The Verkade Speculaas Melkchocolade described by Jumbo contains 10% biscuit crumbs and 0.25% speculaas spices; Jumbo states that the milk chocolate contains at least 29% cocoa solids. It’s a different product from speculaas served with a separate bar of dark chocolate.
Check the listed allergens and any ‘may contain’ warnings on the exact packaging of both products. Look out for wheat or other gluten-containing cereals, milk, soya and nuts, among others; which ones apply varies by product. According to the Voedingscentrum, the 14 most common allergens must be listed on the label.
It’s best to check the packaging of the product you’re actually buying. Albert Heijn warns that product information, including ingredients, nutritional values and allergy information, can change. This is especially important when you’re pairing speculaas and chocolate from two separate products.
