If you want to give every visitor to your Christmas market a sealed portion, choose individually wrapped chocolate biscuit portions. Albert Heijn lists its AH Chocolade mini's karamel biscuit as 16 portions of 21 g. Loose mini cookies are better if you’re serving them from a bowl, but you’ll need to organise portioning and hygienic serving yourself. Before buying, check whether you’re choosing a cookie, a biscuit bar or a multipack, and check the allergens listed on the current packaging.
If you want to hand out a sealed treat without using an open bowl, look for individually wrapped portions. Also check how many portions are in each pack: a small product isn’t automatically individually wrapped.
Loose mini cookies let you decide how many to serve each time. If you’re offering them unpackaged, you’ll need to organise hygienic serving and make allergen information available before purchase, as advised by the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority.
If chocolate with biscuit matters more to you than a round mini cookie, you could also consider a biscuit bar or a small multipack. Read the product description to see exactly what visitors will receive.
First decide whether you want to hand out sealed portions or serve cookies yourself from an opened pack. Then compare the product type, the number of portions and the information you’ll need when serving them.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| Sealed portions | Check whether each portion is individually wrapped and how many portions the pack contains. | If I want to give visitors one treat each without using an open bowl, a ready-portioned product comes first. Around 36% of consumers give this the highest priority. |
| Availability and quantity | Check current availability just before buying, as well as how many packs or portions you need. | For a planned stall, I want to be able to buy the chosen product in good time and in sufficient quantities. Around 29% of consumers say this is their top priority. |
| Type of cookie or biscuit | Check whether it’s a mini cookie, a biscuit bar or a multipack, and which type of chocolate is described. | If visitors are expecting mini chocolate cookies, I don’t want to present a wafer bar or biscuit bar as a cookie. The product type matters most to around 21% of consumers. |
| Allergen information | Check the current packaging. If you’re offering the cookies unpackaged, make sure the required allergen information is available before purchase. | When I serve loose cookies, I want to be able to tell visitors clearly which allergens the chosen product contains. Around 14% of consumers give this information the highest priority. |
A bag of small cookies may be resealable without the cookies being individually wrapped. If you’re serving them from a bag like this, you’ll need to decide how to portion them yourself.
If every visitor needs a sealed treat, look specifically for individually wrapped portions on the packaging.
A biscuit bar or a chocolate-covered speculoos biscuit won’t match everyone’s idea of a mini cookie, even if it contains biscuit and chocolate.
Read the product description before buying. Albert Heijn describes its chocolate mini's karamel biscuit as a biscuit bar, while Lotus Bakeries lists Biscoff with dark chocolate in a pack of 7 × 3 pieces.
Customers must be able to get information about any allergens in unpackaged cookies before buying them. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says this information can be provided in writing or, under certain conditions, verbally.
Keep the current packaging at your stall and make sure you can provide the correct information for each product you’re offering.
A listing for a past promotion doesn’t tell you whether the product will be available around the time of your Christmas market. Lidl listed its Mini star cookies for a limited period in stores, while Jumbo says a particular mini chocolate chip product is no longer in its online range.
Check current availability just before buying and decide which other type of product could work for the same way of serving.
Worth considering if you’re looking for individually wrapped chocolate biscuit portions.
An option for small chocolate cookies that you can portion yourself from a bag.
An alternative if chocolate-covered speculoos and packs of several biscuits suit the way you’re serving them.
A supermarket own brand to compare by product type, provided you check current availability.
A supermarket option if you’re also considering seasonal mini cookies.
Below are small chocolate products and cookies to suit different ways of serving them. Pay particular attention to the difference between a mini cookie, a biscuit and a wafer bar. If you’re handing out sealed portions, also check that the product you choose really does contain individually wrapped portions.
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An option if you’d like to offer mini wafer bars as well as cookies; these aren’t mini cookies. Check the packaging to see whether the portions are individually wrapped. The bag contains 284 g.
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Mini cookies to portion yourself from a bag, for example when serving them from a bowl. The pack contains 110 g; check the current packaging if you need a resealable bag or sealed portions.
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A milk chocolate biscuit to consider if biscuit matters more than a confirmed mini size. The pack contains 150 g; check the dimensions and portion packaging if you want small, sealed treats to hand out.
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Cookies with a dark chocolate flavour to consider for handing out as portions. The pack contains 70 g; before buying, check how many cookies it contains, their size and whether the portions are individually wrapped.
Yes. Customers must be able to get information about any allergens in unpackaged cookies before buying them. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, this information can be provided in writing or, under certain conditions, verbally. If the product contains cereals with gluten or nuts, you must make clear which types are present.
According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, a food business selling directly to consumers from a market stall must register. You should also check with the organiser and the relevant local authority to find out which requirements apply to your pitch.
Yes. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, food sold at markets and events must be stored and sold safely and hygienically. If you open packs to serve cookies loose, you’ll also need to organise hygienic serving and provide allergen information for unpackaged products.
Check the ingredients, allergens, best-before date and any storage instructions on the physical packaging, so you have the right information for the product you’ve chosen. For products you’ll be handing out, also compare the number of portions and check whether they’re individually wrapped.
No. A past promotion doesn’t confirm availability for your Christmas market. The Lidl page for Mini star cookies lists a limited in-store period, so check the current range just before buying.
