If you want to make a biscuit base quickly
You can crumble ready-made speculaas biscuits instead of making biscuit dough first. Bear in mind the other ingredients in the base recipe, too: Jumbo uses sugar and butter as well as biscuits.
Which option is right for you?
If you want to serve bite-sized biscuits
A small, ready-made biscuit is handy with coffee or as a decoration. Check the serving weight and the number of servings on the packaging: the word ‘mini’ doesn’t tell you how many biscuits you’ll be serving.
If you want to bake your own mini speculaas biscuits
Making your own dough lets you choose the shape and thickness before baking. It takes more preparation than opening a packet of biscuits, but it’s a better fit if cutting out the shapes is part of your baking plans.
What should you look for when choosing?
First decide whether you need baked biscuits to serve or crumble, or dough to cut out your own biscuits. Then compare the size and the product information that matters for how you plan to use them.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who should pay particular attention? |
|---|---|---|
| Serving size and biscuit size | Check the serving weight, the number of servings and whether these are small biscuits, rather than assuming a small pack contains small biscuits. | If I’m serving biscuits with coffee, I want to know how many I’ll serve at a time. Around 42% of consumers prioritise portion size and serving format. |
| Use in baking | Choose baked biscuits to crumble or use as a topping; choose dough if you want to cut out your own shapes. Check which additional ingredients the recipe calls for. | For a biscuit base, I want biscuits I can crumble, while I need dough to make my own shaped biscuits. The intended baking use is the top priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Read the current ingredients list and allergen information on the packaging; compare nutritional values per serving and per 100 g. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, the information on that particular pack determines my choice. Ingredients and allergens are the top priority for around 25% of consumers. |
Common mistakes
-
Confusing ready-made biscuits with baking dough
Mini speculaas biscuits are already baked. You can serve or crumble them, but you can’t cut new shapes out of them.
If you want to make your own small biscuits, choose a dough recipe. For a biscuit base or a quick decoration, baked biscuits are the right choice.
-
Judging by the word ‘mini’ alone
A small biscuit doesn’t, by itself, tell you much about its nutritional value by weight or how many biscuits make up a serving. Albert Heijn lists a 9 g serving for AH Mini speculaasjes.
Check the serving size on the packaging and compare the nutritional information for relevant products per 100 g and per serving.
-
Assuming allergens from the brand or product name
The AH Mini speculaasjes described list milk and wheat, among other ingredients; wheat and soya are listed for the Lotus mini variety described. The ingredients therefore vary from product to product.
Check the current label when buying and before use, even if you’ve bought the product before.
Brands worth comparing
Albert Heijn
AH Mini speculaasjes is a described 125 g variety for anyone looking to serve small biscuits.
- Albert Heijn lists a 9 g serving, 14 servings per pack, and ingredient and nutritional information.
- Ingredients and allergens can change, so check the current packaging before making your choice.
Jumbo
Jumbo describes both mini speculaas biscuits and recipes for homemade biscuits and a speculaas crumb base.
- The recipes show two different uses: crumble baked biscuits or roll out and cut shapes from dough.
- Check whether the specific pack is available when you want to order it.
Lotus Biscoff
Lotus Biscoff is a speculoos biscuit brand; Lotus Bakeries describes using its biscuits both as a snack and as an ingredient in cooking.
- One mini variety described comes in a 6 × 25 g pack.
- Speculoos and speculaas are not the same product name. Also check the ingredients and allergens for the variety you choose.
Biscuits on Joybuy
These ready-made speculaas and speculoos biscuits are suitable for serving or for baking plans that involve crumbling biscuits. Only the Hellema pack states the number of biscuits in the product name; check whether the size of each biscuit is right for the servings you have in mind.
Image unavailable
Hellema Smoeltjes Speculaas, 8 biscuits, 200 g
A ready-made biscuit to serve with coffee. Check the packaging for how many biscuits there are and what weight you want to serve at a time, as well as the current ingredients and allergen information.
Image unavailable
Lotus Biscoff Speculoos, 250 g
A ready-made speculoos biscuit to serve or use as an ingredient in cooking. Check the size of each biscuit if you want to make small portions, and be sure to check the current label, too.
Image unavailable
De Ruiter Bakers Speculaas, 450 g
Baked speculaas biscuits to serve, for example, or crumble for a biscuit base. For small servings, check the number and size of the biscuits, and read the current allergen information.
Image unavailable
g'woon Almond Speculaas, 400 g
This speculaas variety is an option if you want to crumble biscuits over a dessert. For small portions, check the size of the biscuits. As this variety contains almonds, read the current ingredients and allergen information carefully.
Frequently asked questions
Can I cut shapes out of shop-bought mini speculaas biscuits?
No, mini speculaas biscuits are already baked. If you want to choose the shape yourself, use dough; Jumbo’s recipe rolls the speculaas dough out to about 3 mm before cutting out the biscuits.
Can I use ready-made speculaas biscuits for a tart base?
Yes, as a crumb base: a Jumbo recipe mixes crumbled speculaas biscuits with sugar and butter. This makes a base, not dough that you can cut biscuits from, so follow the quantities and method in your chosen recipe.
Where can I check the allergens in mini speculaas biscuits?
Read the allergen information on the current packaging for the variety you’ve chosen. The AH Mini speculaasjes described list milk and wheat, among other ingredients, while wheat and soya are listed for the Lotus mini variety described. A brand name alone is therefore not a reliable basis for making your choice.
How should I store an opened pack of speculaas biscuits?
Store the biscuits in a cool, dry, dark place in a well-sealed container, as advised by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre. Also follow the storage instructions on the packaging of the product you’ve bought.