Use a plain digestive if your recipe calls for one and you want the filling or topping to provide the chocolate flavour. Choose a digestive topped with dark or milk chocolate when that flavour works in the biscuit base too. Whichever you choose, follow the ratio of crumbs to butter in your recipe, and check the label of your chosen variety if you have allergies.
If your recipe calls for plain digestives, they’ll give you a biscuit base without a chocolate coating. Rutger Bakt describes digestives as firm and crumbly, making them suitable for a cheesecake base. When mixing them with butter, stick to the ratio in your own recipe.
For a no-bake tart or tartlet, you could try biscuits topped with dark or milk chocolate if the flavour works with the filling. Check whether your recipe allows for chocolate biscuits, and read the ingredients for your chosen variety.
If you need to avoid ingredients such as wheat, milk or soya, the exact variety matters more than the name ‘digestive’. Before buying, check the latest ingredients list and allergen information on the packaging.
First, check whether your recipe calls for plain digestives or chocolate biscuits. Then choose the type of chocolate and check the label of the variety you want to use.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Biscuit base | Check which type of biscuit the recipe calls for, and follow the recommended ratio of biscuits to butter. | When I’m making a cheesecake, I want to make a crumb base without accidentally switching to a different type of biscuit. For around 40% of consumers, choosing the right biscuit for the recipe comes first. |
| Chocolate flavour | Compare plain digestives with varieties topped with dark or milk chocolate, and check the ingredients of your chosen biscuit. | If the filling doesn’t contain much chocolate, I might want that flavour in the base instead. Around 40% of consumers prioritise that chocolate flavour. |
| Allergens | Check the latest information on wheat, milk, soya and any possible traces on the exact packaging. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, I can’t rely on the product name alone. Checking the label is the first concern for around 20% of consumers. |
Plain digestives and chocolate-topped varieties may list different allergens. For example, Jumbo lists wheat and possible traces of milk for McVitie's Digestives Original, while Albert Heijn lists milk and soya for McVitie's Digestives Milk Chocolate.
Check the ingredients, allergens and trace warnings for the variety you’re actually buying.
The recipes from Landleven and Lidl Recepten both use finely crushed biscuits and butter for a base, but the ratios are different. So one ratio won’t necessarily work for every type of biscuit.
Start with the quantities in your chosen recipe, and press the crumb mixture down as instructed.
Verkade Glutenvrije Oaties Melkchocolade is described as an oat biscuit, not a classic digestive. That doesn’t mean its crumbs will behave in the same way in your recipe.
If you’re using a different type of biscuit, it’s best to find a suitable recipe or try making a small base first.
Offers plain digestives and varieties topped with dark or milk chocolate, giving you different flavours to choose from for a biscuit base.
Offers a Digestive Original and a digestive biscuit topped with dark chocolate.
AH digestive puur is a supermarket own-brand variety topped with dark chocolate.
Offers a digestive biscuit topped with dark chocolate and a plain wholemeal digestive, so you can choose between biscuits with or without a chocolate coating.
Lidl Nederland lists a 300 g Sondey Digestives pure chocolade.
These digestive biscuits suit three different styles of biscuit base: without a chocolate coating, with milk chocolate or with dark chocolate. The right choice depends on your recipe, the flavour you want and the information on the label.
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A plain digestive for a base when your recipe calls for digestives and you want the filling or topping to provide the chocolate flavour. The pack contains 400 g. Follow the butter ratio in your recipe, and check the latest label if you have allergies.
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A digestive biscuit topped with milk chocolate for a base where that flavour works with the filling. The pack contains 266 g. If you have allergies, check the latest information on milk, soya and wheat, and follow the ratio in your recipe.
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A digestive biscuit topped with dark chocolate for a base when your recipe leaves room for chocolate in the crumb layer. The pack contains 266 g. Joybuy lists 30% dark chocolate for this variety, along with the allergens wheat, milk and soya. Check the latest label.
You can if your recipe allows for the change, but don’t automatically use the same amount of butter. The recipes from Landleven and Lidl Recepten both use biscuit crumbs and butter, but the ratios differ. So start with a recipe suited to the type of biscuit you’re using.
No. The name alone doesn’t mean it has any effect on digestion. For McVitie's Digestives Pure Chocolade, Jumbo states that the biscuit ingredients don’t contain substances that aid digestion.
At the very least, check the latest packaging for wheat or other gluten-containing cereals, milk and soya. These allergens are listed for several of the chocolate digestives mentioned here. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that allergens must be listed on the labels of prepacked foods.
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging and seal the pack well after opening. For its digestive biscuit topped with dark chocolate, Jumbo recommends storing the biscuits in a well-sealed pack in a dark place after opening.
