Don’t buy porridge oats as a like-for-like replacement for all the flour in Dutch spiced biscuits: Allerhande’s recipe uses self-raising flour and wheat flour. If you’re adapting a recipe to use oats, choose the flake size to suit the texture you want, and only buy a large pack if you’ll use the rest too. If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, check for the official Crossed Grain symbol, as advised by the Netherlands Nutrition Centre.
Would you like biscuits with a finer oat texture, or one where the oats stand out? Allerhande recipes use both fine and coarse flakes in different oat biscuits, but its Dutch spiced biscuit recipe uses self-raising flour and wheat flour. So, start by choosing a suitable oat-based recipe.
A large pack can be useful for several baking sessions, provided you’ll use the leftover oats too. For example, Jumbo lists a 1 kg pack of fine wholegrain oats. Seal an opened pack tightly and follow the storage instructions on the packaging.
Regular porridge oats aren’t automatically suitable for this. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that oat products can be contaminated with gluten. Check for the official Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging, and assess the other recipe ingredients too.
First decide which recipe and biscuit texture you want. Then choose a pack size you can use, and check the label for gluten information if needed.
| What to consider | What to check | Who should consider it? |
|---|---|---|
| Flake size | Check whether the pack contains fine or coarse flakes, and choose a recipe to match. | If you want the oats to be less noticeable in your biscuit dough, or you’d prefer visible flakes, let the texture you’re after guide your choice. Around 45% of consumers put dough texture first for this type of baking. |
| Pack size and stock | Compare the pack size with your planned baking sessions, and check how to store an opened pack. | If you’re baking on several occasions, you’ll want enough oats without being left with a large pack you won’t use. For around 33% of consumers, having a useful amount in stock is the main concern. |
| Gluten information | If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, check for the official Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging and assess the other recipe ingredients. | If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, suitability matters more than flake size or pack size. An estimated 22% of consumers prioritise gluten safety when making this choice. |
Allerhande’s Dutch spiced biscuit recipe uses self-raising flour and wheat flour. Its oat biscuit recipes use different ingredients, so replacing the same amount of flour with oats won’t give you predictable biscuit dough.
Choose a recipe designed for oats, or try a small batch before buying for a bigger baking session.
A 1 kg pack is only practical if you’ll use it for future baking sessions or other purposes. As well as pack size, check the type of flakes and the ingredients.
Plan what you’ll do with the leftover oats, and follow the storage instructions on the packaging once opened.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that oat products can be contaminated with gluten. So a regular pack isn’t automatically suitable for someone with coeliac disease.
Check for the official Crossed Grain symbol on the current packaging, and check the other recipe ingredients too.
Jumbo lists a 1 kg pack of fine wholegrain oats, which may suit you if you’re looking for a larger amount for several baking sessions.
Albert Heijn lists a 600 g pack of Quaker wholegrain oats as a medium-sized option for baking and other uses.
Allerhande recipes show how fine and coarse oats are used in different biscuit doughs.
This 600 g pack is an option if you want to try an oat-based recipe and can use the leftover oats. Check which flake size your recipe calls for.
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This 600 g pack is a good fit if you’d like to try an oat-based recipe and save the rest for another baking session.
Check the flake size on the packaging before you buy. If you’re baking for someone with coeliac disease, look for the official Crossed Grain symbol and assess the other recipe ingredients too.
Don’t assume you can swap them like for like. Allerhande’s Dutch spiced biscuit recipe uses self-raising flour and wheat flour, while its oat biscuit recipes use different ingredients. It’s better to use a recipe designed for oats, or try a small batch first.
Choose fine flakes for a more even oat texture, or coarse flakes if you’d like visible oats in your biscuits. Allerhande uses both types in different oat biscuit recipes, but that doesn’t necessarily predict the result of an adapted Dutch spiced biscuit recipe.
Not automatically. The Netherlands Nutrition Centre says that oat products can be contaminated with gluten, so check for the official Crossed Grain symbol on the packaging. Also check all the other recipe ingredients.
Seal the pack of oats tightly after use and follow the storage instructions on the packaging. For baked Dutch spiced biscuits, the Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends a cool, dry, dark place and an airtight container.
