Parents who want to hand out individual treats
You can give a child or guest a soft eierkoek without cutting it. For mini eierkoeken and regular packs, check how many you get and how many you plan to hand out per person.
Who is this choice for?
Hosts looking for a crunchy biscuit
A digestive could be just right for a plate of biscuits with coffee or tea. Be sure to distinguish between plain varieties and those with a coating, such as chocolate, as the ingredients and nutritional information differ.
Party planners catering for their guests
For a children’s party, a school treat or a mixed group, it’s important to consider known allergies, dietary requirements and any rules set by the venue. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises checking for allergies in advance.
What should you look for when choosing?
First decide whether you want to hand out individual cakes or put out a plate of biscuits. Then choose the texture you prefer and check the portions, ingredients and nutritional information for the exact variety.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Most relevant for |
|---|---|---|
| Handing out portions | Count the biscuits in each pack and compare the pack size with the number of guests. Jumbo lists its Mini Eierkoeken as ten portions of 25 g; Albert Heijn lists AH Eierkoeken as twelve portions of 30 g. | If I want to give everyone a cake without cutting it, the number of cakes needs to match my guest list. For around 31% of consumers, ease of handing out treats comes first. |
| Texture and taste | Choose between a soft eierkoek and a crunchy digestive; consider a crumbly eierkoek or a coated variety separately. | With coffee, I’d prefer a crunchy biscuit, while for an individual treat I might look for a soft cake. Around 25% of consumers prioritise this choice of taste and texture. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Ask about relevant allergies and read the current ingredients and allergen information on the packaging of the exact variety. | If a guest has an allergy, I don’t want to rely on the product name before putting something out. For around 25% of consumers, checking the ingredients is their first concern. |
| Nutritional information | Compare fibre, sugars, fat and salt per 100 g, then check the actual portion size; no single nutritional value tells the whole story. | When I’m choosing between a plain biscuit and a coated variety, I want to know what a portion contains. Around 19% of consumers put nutritional information first. |
Common mistakes
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Assuming the name ‘digestive’ describes what it does
The product name is no proof of an effect on digestion. Jumbo’s product page for McVitie’s Digestives Milk Chocolate states that the biscuit ingredients do not contain substances that aid digestion.
Choose a digestive based on the flavour and texture you want, its ingredients and its nutritional information.
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Treating a coated variety as the same as a plain one
A milk or chocolate coating changes what’s in the biscuit. The Bolletje Brosse Eierkoek met Melklaagje and McVitie’s Digestives Milk Chocolate varieties reviewed each have their own ingredients and allergens.
Compare the exact varieties per 100 g and per portion, and check the allergens before serving them to guests.
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Relying only on the online product page when allergies are involved
Ingredients vary between products, and the information on a product page may not be enough to help you choose for a guest. Lidl directs customers to the packaging for ingredients, allergens and nutritional values of its food products.
Ask which allergies are relevant and read the current packaging. If in doubt, don’t make the choice on behalf of someone with a serious allergy.
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Forgetting school or after-school club rules for treats
A biscuit you want to serve at home won’t necessarily meet the rules at another venue. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre highlights possible rules for children’s party treats, as well as the importance of considering allergies and keeping portions small.
Check the venue’s rules before buying, and choose the size, quantity and ingredients accordingly.
Brands to consider
Albert Heijn
The supermarket’s own brand has eierkoek varieties whose portions and nutritional information you can compare by product.
- The product page lists AH Eierkoeken as twelve portions of 30 g.
- A wholemeal variety has a different composition from the regular eierkoek, so check which one you’re actually buying.
Jumbo
The supermarket’s own brand offers mini eierkoeken, among other products. Check digestive varieties separately rather than assuming they’re the same type of biscuit.
- Jumbo Mini Eierkoeken are listed as ten portions of 25 g.
- Ingredients and allergens vary by product, even among items sold in the same shop.
Bolletje
Brosse Eierkoek met Melklaagje is a different product from a regular soft eierkoek.
- Bolletje describes this variety as crumbly, with a milk coating and sugar.
- Check the allergens listed for this variety, as well as any warnings about the possible presence of nuts or sesame.
Verkade
Digestive Original is a plain digestive for anyone looking to serve a crunchy wheat biscuit.
- Albert Heijn’s product information lists Verkade Digestive Original as containing 16% wholemeal wheat flour.
- Compare the rest of the nutritional information too, and check the current packaging and availability.
McVitie’s
The brand offers Digestive Original and coated varieties; choose the one that suits what you want to serve.
- McVitie’s lists Digestive Original as containing 16% wholemeal wheat flour.
- The milk chocolate variety has different ingredients and allergens from Original, so read the label on the variety you choose.
Lidl
A supermarket option for checking packs of eierkoeken or plain digestives.
- The range includes eierkoeken and plain digestives.
- Lidl directs customers to the label for ingredients, allergens and nutritional values of food products, so read it before buying.
ALDI
Biscotto Digestive Biscuits are an option if you’re looking for a larger pack of biscuits.
- The ALDI product page lists a 400 g pack containing around 27 biscuits.
- Check the ingredients and allergens on the packaging in store before choosing a pack.
Digestives for the party table
If you’d like to serve a plain digestive with coffee or tea at a birthday party, you could consider this pack of McVitie’s Original. If you want to hand out biscuits to each guest, check for yourself how many there are and how they’re packaged.
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McVitie’s Digestive Original, 400 g
A plain digestive for anyone looking to serve a crunchy biscuit with coffee or tea.
400 g pack. Before handing them out, check how many biscuits there are, whether they’re individually wrapped and which allergens are listed on the current label.
Frequently asked questions
Are eierkoeken or digestives easier to hand out at school?
Mini eierkoeken are a practical option if you want to give each child one: Jumbo lists its Mini Eierkoeken as ten portions. Before buying, check the school or after-school club’s rules for treats and ask about relevant allergies. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends keeping biscuit treats to small portions.
Does ‘digestive’ tell you anything about what the biscuit does?
No, the name alone doesn’t indicate an effect on digestion. Choose between digestives based on their ingredients, nutritional information, portion size and the texture you prefer.
How do I check allergens for my guests?
First, ask which allergies are relevant to your guests, then read the label on the exact variety of biscuit. The ingredients and possible traces vary between the eierkoeken and digestives mentioned, so don’t rely on the brand name alone or assume another variety is the same.
How should I store the biscuits until the birthday?
Follow the storage instructions on the packaging you buy. Albert Heijn’s product information recommends keeping AH Eierkoeken in a dark, dry place and sealing the pack properly after use. For digestives, check the instructions for the variety you choose.