Fans of a pronounced cocoa flavour
You’re looking for a biscuit with a distinct dark chocolate flavour. The word ‘dark’ is a starting point, but if a high cocoa content matters to you, check the percentage on the packaging.
Who is this for?
Shopping for a little something with tea or coffee
You’re buying for one occasion or for guests, and want to know how many biscuits are in a pack and how to store the rest once it’s open.
Shoppers checking ingredients and allergens
You want to read the ingredients and allergen information for the pack you’ve chosen before buying. Even biscuits with dark chocolate may contain ingredients such as wheat, milk and soya.
What should you look for when choosing?
Start with the chocolate flavour and type of biscuit you want. Then check whether the pack suits the occasion and read the information on the label.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa flavour | Choose between chocolate chips, a chocolate bar or a coating. If a high cocoa content is important to you, check the cocoa percentage on the pack. | I want a pronounced dark chocolate flavour and to be able to check whether the cocoa content suits me. This flavour preference comes first for around 36% of consumers. |
| Portions and packaging | Check the weight, portion size and storage advice for after opening. If you prefer individually wrapped biscuits, check whether the pack has them. | For one coffee break, I don’t want to be left with more opened biscuits than I can eat. A suitable portion size matters most to around 21% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the ingredients list and allergen information on the current packaging, including any ‘may contain’ warnings. | If ingredients or allergens are crucial to my choice, I want to know what’s listed on the pack I’ve chosen. Around 29% of consumers give this check top priority. |
| Nutritional value | Compare sugars, fats and salt per 100 g in the nutritional information, using the same basis for every product. | I want to compare different biscuits on a like-for-like nutritional basis before choosing. This is the most important point of comparison for around 14% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming ‘dark’ means a confirmed high cocoa percentage
The proportion of dark chocolate chips, chocolate in a bar or chocolate in a coating describes the biscuit’s composition. It isn’t a cocoa percentage that you can compare directly with others.
If a high cocoa content is key to your choice, check which cocoa percentage the packaging states and what that percentage refers to.
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Choosing a chocolate selection when you only want dark chocolate
A pack containing dark, white and milk chocolate won’t give every biscuit the same chocolate flavour. According to ALDI, Biscotto contains a mix of all three types.
Choose a selection like this if you want variety; for an exclusively dark chocolate flavour, look for the individual product variant.
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Assuming you know the allergens from the type of chocolate
Biscuits with dark chocolate may contain wheat, milk and soya. Some products also carry a warning about nuts.
If you have a food allergy, always check the current ingredients list and allergen information on the exact pack, even if you’ve bought the product before.
Brands to consider
Lotus Biscoff
Speculoos biscuits with dark chocolate, available in packs of seven containing three biscuits each, according to Lotus Bakeries.
- Lotus Bakeries lists chocolate as 22% of the ingredients in this variant.
- That proportion doesn’t tell you the cocoa percentage; the ingredients include wheat, milk and soya.
LU
LU Scholiertje Dark pairs a butter biscuit with a bar of dark chocolate.
- Albert Heijn lists this variant as a 150 g pack, with a serving of two biscuits.
- The 48% proportion of dark chocolate listed by Albert Heijn is a product component, not a cocoa percentage. If you have allergies, check the label for ingredients such as milk, soya and wheat, as well as any warnings about nuts.
Jumbo
Jumbo Chocolate Cookies are crunchy biscuits with dark chocolate chips in a 225 g pack.
- Jumbo lists 40% dark chocolate chips and 12 portions for this product.
- The proportion of chocolate chips isn’t a cocoa percentage. Read the allergen information and storage advice on the packaging.
McVitie’s
McVitie’s Digestives Dark Chocolate are wheat biscuits coated with dark chocolate.
- Jumbo lists 30% dark chocolate and 9% wholemeal wheat flour for this variant.
- The chocolate coating doesn’t indicate the overall cocoa content. This product contains wheat, milk and soya.
Biscotto
Biscotto offers a mixed pack of butter biscuits with dark, white and milk chocolate.
- According to ALDI, the biscuits are packed in pairs, which can be handy if you’d like to share a selection.
- The selection doesn’t give you an exclusively dark chocolate flavour in every biscuit.
Biscuits at Joybuy
These products range from biscuits and digestives with dark chocolate to cookies with a dark chocolate flavour. For a small top-up shop, choose based on the type of biscuit and pack size; check the label if cocoa content or an allergen is a deciding factor for you.
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LU Scholiertje Chocolate, 150 g
A chocolate-topped biscuit to enjoy with tea or coffee. Joybuy describes this 150 g pack as containing portions of two biscuits; check the label if you’re looking for a particular cocoa content.
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Franzzi Premium dark chocolate-flavoured cookies, 70 g
The 70 g pack may suit a small top-up shop. The description ‘dark chocolate flavour’ doesn’t in itself confirm a particular cocoa content, so check the label for details.
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McVitie’s Digestives with Dark Chocolate, 266 g
A digestive with a dark chocolate coating, ideal if you’d like to share a pack or enjoy it over several occasions. The pack contains 266 g; check the cocoa content separately if that’s important to your choice.
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quduoduo Chunky Cookies with dark chocolate flavour, 72 g
The 72 g pack is an option if you only want to buy a few biscuits at a time. The flavour description doesn’t confirm the cocoa content, so check the packaging for details.
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Franzzi Mellow dark chocolate-flavoured cookies, 115 g
This 115 g pack may suit you if you’re looking for dark chocolate-flavoured cookies to enjoy on more than one occasion. Check the label for the portion size and cocoa content if these details matter to your choice.
Frequently asked questions
Does ‘dark’ mean a biscuit has a high cocoa content?
No, the description alone doesn’t confirm that the biscuit has a high cocoa content. Albert Heijn, Jumbo and Jumbo’s information about McVitie’s list proportions of chocolate as a product component, chips or coating for various biscuits; you can’t compare these percentages as cocoa percentages. If a high cocoa content is your main requirement, check the percentage and its description on the packaging.
Which allergens should I check in biscuits with dark chocolate?
Read the current ingredients list and both ‘contains’ and ‘may contain’ statements on the pack you’ve chosen. The products discussed here include ingredients such as wheat, milk and soya; some also carry a warning about nuts. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains how allergens are listed on labels.
How do I compare the nutritional value of packs with different weights?
Compare the nutritional information per 100 g, rather than just per biscuit or per pack. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre explains that nutrition tables use this standard basis. This lets you compare sugars, fats and salt like for like, alongside the portion you intend to eat.
How should I store an opened pack of biscuits?
Follow the storage advice on the packaging of the product you’ve bought. Jumbo advises sealing its Chocolate Cookies tightly after opening and using the rest within a few days; check the label for other biscuits.