If you’re mainly looking for a biscuit with a demonstrably low sugar content, a ready-made sugar-free speculoos biscuit is an option, provided its ingredients and allergen information suit your needs. If spending time making them together matters more, bake speculaas at home. But don’t take a recipe title as proof that it contains less sugar: check all the ingredients and supervise children around the oven.
You’re looking for a biscuit to serve as a treat and want to know what a claim such as ‘sugar-free’ means. Compare the nutrition information per 100 g, check which sweeteners have been used and see how much sugar is in one biscuit.
You’re choosing a recipe partly so the children can measure, mix or shape the dough. Check that the steps are suitable for their abilities and supervise them around the oven. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre and VeiligheidNL emphasise the importance of supervision when children help with cooking.
If your child has an allergy or follows a gluten-free diet, the current packaging is what matters. A sugar-free biscuit or gluten-free speculaas can still contain other ingredients you need to avoid.
Decide whether the sugar content of the biscuit or the shared baking activity matters most. Whichever you choose, check the ingredients that are relevant to your child.
Choose this if: you’re looking for a biscuit whose sugar content and portion size you can check on the label.
Bear in mind: the Céréal biscuit reviewed contains maltitol and several allergens. The packaging warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Choose this if: mixing and shaping together is the main priority and you want to choose the ingredients yourself.
Bear in mind: a recipe’s name doesn’t tell you how much sugar the finished biscuits contain. For example, Jumbo’s ‘Sugar-Free Speculaas’ recipe uses 500 g of maple syrup.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sugars and product name | For packaged biscuits, compare ‘of which sugars’ per 100 g. For a recipe, check all the sweet ingredients and the intended portion size. | I want to know how much sugar is in the biscuit before serving it as a treat, rather than relying on its name. For around 43% of consumers, reducing sugar would be the top priority. |
| Baking together | Check whether children can help with the steps and arrange for someone to supervise them around the oven. | Making the dough together is why I want to bake; I’m looking for a recipe the children can help with. For around 29% of consumers, the baking activity would come first. |
| Allergens and sweeteners | Read the current ingredients and allergen information, check the type of sweetener and look for any warnings on the packaging. | If a child needs to avoid certain ingredients, I want to check before handing out the biscuits. For around 28% of consumers, checking the ingredients would be the main concern. |
Jumbo’s ‘Sugar-Free Speculaas’ recipe contains 500 g of maple syrup and serves four. You can’t tell how much sugar is in each portion from the title.
Read all the ingredients before you start baking. For ready-made biscuits, compare the ‘of which sugars’ figures per 100 g separately.
The Céréal Sugar-Free Almond Pieces Speculoos reviewed contains, among other things, wheat, almonds, soya, egg, milk and barley.
Check the ingredients and allergens on the current packaging every time you buy it, even if you’ve bought the product before.
Jumbo Gluten-Free Speculaas lists 26.9 g of sugars per 100 g. So a gluten-free claim answers a different question from the sugar content.
Check the gluten-free claim if you need to, and assess the sugar content and other allergens separately.
The Céréal speculoos reviewed contains maltitol. The packaging states that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
Read the warning and check the portion size, even when the packaging says ‘sugar-free’.
The differences below apply to the specific biscuits and recipe mentioned, not to a brand’s entire range.
Céréal Sugar-Free Almond Pieces Speculoos is a ready-made speculoos biscuit.
Jumbo offers both a recipe for making speculaas at home and Jumbo Gluten-Free Speculaas.
Lotus Biscoff Speculoos XL is a standard speculoos option, not an alternative selected for having less sugar.
No. The ‘sugar-free’ claim doesn’t tell you everything about the biscuit’s nutritional information. Check the ingredients and portion size too. For children aged 4 to 12, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre advises having no more than four eating or drinking occasions between meals.
For packaged biscuits, compare the ‘of which sugars’ figures per 100 g. For a recipe, read the full ingredients list. Jumbo’s ‘Sugar-Free Speculaas’ recipe uses maple syrup, so the recipe title doesn’t tell you how much sugar will be in a finished portion.
Read the portion information and any warning on the packaging. Céréal Sugar-Free Almond Pieces Speculoos contains maltitol and warns that excessive consumption may have a laxative effect.
This varies by product, so always check the current label. The Céréal speculoos reviewed contains, among other things, wheat, almonds, soya, egg, milk and barley. Other allergens and possible ‘may contain’ warnings are still relevant for gluten-free speculaas too. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority explains that the 14 specified allergens must be listed on food labels.
Give children tasks suited to their abilities, such as adding ingredients, stirring or shaping the dough, and supervise them when using the oven. VeiligheidNL describes learning to use the oven as an activity that should take place under supervision.
