If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease
Look for an explicit gluten-free statement on the ingredients as your starting point. While preparing the dough, keep crumbs from ordinary biscuits and bread away from it too.
Who is this choice relevant to?
If you want to bake spiced biscuits quickly
A gluten-free spiced biscuit mix gives you a reliable base and method. Check which ingredients you’ll need to add; for Albert Heijn’s mix, these include butter or margarine and egg or an egg replacer.
If you want to adapt the recipe yourself
With individual ingredients, you can choose your own flour base and spices. You’ll need to check every ingredient, as well as any other allergens if you have additional dietary requirements.
What should you look for?
First, make sure all the ingredients are suitable for the person you’re baking for. Then choose between the convenience of a spiced biscuit mix and the flexibility of making your own recipe.
| What to consider | What should you check? | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Gluten-free base | Look for ‘gluten-free’ or the Crossed Grain symbol on the current packaging. Don’t use ordinary kano biscuits as a substitute for a checked ingredient. | If I’m baking for someone with coeliac disease, I don’t want to rely on the type of biscuit or the ingredients list alone. For around 42% of consumers, confirmed gluten-free suitability comes first. |
| Convenience of a mix | Check that the mix is intended for spiced biscuits and see which ingredients you need to add yourself, according to the packaging. | If you want to bake spiced biscuits without working out your own flour ratios, a mix with clear instructions is helpful. Around 33% of consumers put this convenience first. |
| Flexibility to adapt the recipe | Check the flour, spices and any oats individually, as well as the suitability of any ingredients you add. | If I want to decide which types of flour and additions to use, I’d rather choose individual ingredients. Around 25% of consumers value this flexibility most. |
Common mistakes
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Mistaking ordinary kano biscuits for a gluten-free baking base
Jumbo’s product information lists wheat flour and gluten in its kano biscuits; Albert Heijn lists wheat and cereals containing gluten as allergens. So a festive biscuit isn’t necessarily a suitable ingredient for gluten-free spiced biscuits.
If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, use a clearly labelled gluten-free base and check the current ingredients and allergen information.
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Forgetting what you need to add to a mix
According to the product information, Albert Heijn’s gluten-free spiced biscuit and speculaas mix also requires butter or margarine and egg or an egg replacer. These additions matter if you need to take other dietary requirements into account.
Read the full instructions before buying, and check the ingredients you’ll be adding yourself too.
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Underestimating the risk from crumbs and shared utensils
The Dutch Coeliac Society says that cross-contamination with gluten can also happen during preparation.
Clean your worktop and utensils, keep ordinary crumbs away, and store gluten-free ingredients in sealed containers until you’re ready to use them.
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Adding a named product to your shopping list without checking first
Jumbo says that Consenza Gluten Free Kruidnoten is no longer part of its online range. A product name doesn’t guarantee that it’s available to buy.
Check current availability and read the packaging of the product you actually choose.
Relevant brands to consider
Albert Heijn
Albert Heijn offers a baking mix labelled gluten-free for spiced biscuits and speculaas, providing an example of the mix option.
- The product information gives a method using butter or margarine and egg or an egg replacer.
- AH Kano’s roomboter are not an alternative for someone with coeliac disease: the allergen information lists wheat and cereals containing gluten.
Jumbo
Jumbo publishes a gluten-free spiced biscuit recipe using individual ingredients, including buckwheat flour.
- A recipe using individual ingredients lets you choose products yourself and check their labels.
- According to the product information, Jumbo Kano’s met roomboter contain wheat flour and list gluten.
Consenza
Consenza is a useful reference for ready-made spiced biscuits if you want to compare baking with a packaged alternative.
- The Consenza Gluten Free Kruidnoten described by Jumbo are labelled gluten-free.
- Jumbo says this product is no longer in its online range; check current availability and packaging.
A flour base for your own recipe on Joybuy
This flour is an option to consider if you’re putting together your own spiced biscuit dough; it isn’t a ready-made spiced biscuit mix. If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, check the current gluten-free statement on the packaging and make sure the flour is suitable for your recipe.
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Koopmans self-raising almond flour 200 g
If you’re choosing ingredients for spiced biscuit dough yourself, this flour could be a base to consider. The pack contains 200 g of self-raising almond flour; check the gluten-free statement, allergen information and suitability for your recipe.
Frequently asked questions
Can I crumble ordinary kano biscuits into gluten-free spiced biscuits?
Not if you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease: Jumbo lists wheat flour and gluten in its kano biscuits, while Albert Heijn lists wheat and cereals containing gluten as allergens. Use a clearly labelled gluten-free baking base instead of these ordinary kano biscuits.
How can I tell if an ingredient is labelled gluten-free?
Look for the word ‘gluten-free’ or the Crossed Grain symbol on the current packaging, as advised by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. Also check the ingredients and allergen information for everything you add to the dough.
How can I prevent cross-contamination while baking?
Keep ordinary crumbs away from the gluten-free dough, and use a clean worktop and clean utensils. The Dutch Coeliac Society warns that even small amounts of gluten can get into food through cross-contamination.
Can I add ordinary oat flour to gluten-free spiced biscuit dough?
Don’t use ordinary oat flour without checking the label. According to the Dutch Coeliac Society, oats may be contaminated with gluten; for a gluten-free recipe, use only oat flour that is clearly labelled gluten-free.