When choosing biscuits for a Christmas party, start with how they’re packaged rather than relying on the word ‘mini’: individually wrapped portions or a clearly stated number of biscuits make it easier to work out how many to put out for each table or guest. Then check whether you’re buying biscuits or biscuit bars, how many pieces are in a pack and which allergens are listed on the label for the exact product you’ve chosen.
If you want to decide in advance how many biscuits to put out for each table or guest, check how many pieces there are per pack and how many packs you’ll need to open at once. Research by the University of Groningen highlights the importance of being able to decide on the total portion size yourself.
A stated number of individually wrapped biscuits or small packs is useful when you want to distribute treats across tables in advance, without counting or repackaging biscuits during the party.
If guests need to avoid certain ingredients, the label on the exact pack matters more than a general product name. Check for information about possible traces too.
First decide how many you want to put out at once. Then compare the number of pieces and check the ingredients on the pack you’ve chosen before serving.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Controlling portions | Check how many packs there are and how many pieces are in each one, and whether you can open just some of them. | I want to put a pre-decided quantity out for each table and keep the rest sealed; this is a priority for around 42% of consumers. |
| Handing out treats quickly | Compare the number of individual pieces or easy-to-hand-out packs, not just the total weight. | When handing treats out to a group, I want to know how many guests I can serve without breaking or counting biscuits. Around 33% of consumers prioritise ease of handing them out. |
| Allergens | Read the ingredients and information about possible traces on the label of the exact product. | For guests with a relevant allergy, I want to know what’s in their treat before serving it; this is the main concern for around 25% of consumers. |
A small biscuit, a pack containing several biscuits and an individually wrapped biscuit bar each call for a different plan for handing them out.
Check both the number of pieces per pack and the type of product. For example, Lotus Bakeries Nederland lists Speculoos with chocolate as seven packs of three, while Jumbo lists its 333 g bag of Twix Minis as containing fifteen individually wrapped bars.
Individual packaging doesn’t change the ingredients. The product information for Lotus Speculoos with chocolate and the Twix Minis variety mentioned above lists wheat, milk and soya, among other ingredients.
Read the label for the exact product, including information about possible traces, and consider the needs of the guests you’re serving it to.
An item you’ve seen online before may not be available when you do your shopping. Albert Heijn marks a Verkade Mini choc chip product as discontinued, while Lidl lists Sondey Choco biscuits melk as an in-store product.
Check current availability shortly before you buy, then read the packaging of the product you actually purchase.
A biscuit and chocolate brand to consider if you’re looking for a familiar name for chocolate biscuits.
Lotus Speculoos with chocolate is an option if a pre-portioned pack suits your plans for handing out treats.
A retailer where you can browse branded and own-label products, rather than a biscuit brand in its own right.
A supermarket with a mini biscuit category featuring a range of brands and biscuit formats.
Sondey is a Lidl brand that includes biscuits and cookies.
An own-label option to compare when you’re looking for packs of small biscuits.
These chocolate biscuits are worth considering if you’re looking for smaller pack sizes or portions that are easy to divide up for a Christmas party. For each product, check the actual number of biscuits and the information on the label before planning how many to serve per guest.
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The 3 × 77 g pack is worth a look if you want to serve biscuits across several tables or at different times. Check how many biscuits are in each pack, and read the label for relevant allergens before serving.
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Consider these milk chocolate biscuits if you want to have portions ready for your guests. Check how many biscuits and individual portions are in the pack. If you’re specifically looking for mini biscuits, check the size of each biscuit too, and read the label for allergen information.
Compare how many individual packs there are, how many biscuits each contains and whether you can open only part of the pack. Then decide how many you want to put out for each table or guest. The word ‘mini’ alone won’t tell you that.
They’re handy if you want to hand out individual pieces, but check what type of product you’re buying too. The 333 g bag of Twix Minis listed by Jumbo contains fifteen individually wrapped bars with biscuit and caramel, rather than classic mini biscuits.
Read the ingredients and information about possible traces on the label of the exact pack. Lotus Speculoos with chocolate and the Twix Minis variety mentioned above list wheat, milk and soya, among other ingredients. Don’t assume the information for another variety applies without checking.
Use a product page to make a shortlist, but read the packaging of the product you’ve actually bought before serving it. Albert Heijn notes that ingredient and allergy information can change.
