Choose a speculaas bar if you want something to eat while making Dutch doughnuts. If you want to add a spiced-biscuit flavour to the batter, plain, crumbly speculaas is a more suitable choice than a filled snack bar. In either case, check the ingredients and allergens, and try the crumbs in a small amount of batter first.
You’re making Dutch doughnuts and want a bar for yourself to enjoy in between, without having to open a large packet of biscuits. Check the number of bars and the amount in each one: a multipack doesn’t always contain just one bar.
You’re looking for something to crumble into the batter, rather than a snack to eat while you bake. Filled speculaas or a chocolate bar contains more ingredients than plain speculaas, so decide which product you want to try first and start with just a few crumbs.
Your choice depends on the ingredients in the bar or biscuit. The products mentioned differ in the grains, milk, soya, egg and nuts they contain. Check the current packaging, even if you’ve bought the product before.
First decide whether the speculaas is for you or for the batter. Then consider portion size, other ingredients and allergens to help you choose what to buy.
| What to consider | What to check before buying | Who it matters to |
|---|---|---|
| A snack for yourself | Check the number of bars and the amount in each one. Make sure the pack suits a single snack break. | I want to enjoy a bar while baking without opening a large pack of biscuits; for around 50% of consumers, having a snack portion to themselves comes first. |
| Speculaas for the batter | Check whether you’re buying plain, crumbly speculaas or a product with a filling, chocolate or other additions. | If I want to add a spiced-biscuit flavour to my Dutch doughnuts, I want to control how many crumbs I use. For around 30% of consumers, this baking goal comes first. |
| Ingredients and allergens | Check the ingredients, allergens and any warnings about possible traces of other allergens on the current packaging. | I want to know which grains and other allergens the product contains before using it; around 20% of consumers prioritise checking the ingredients. |
A protein bar, chocolate bar or filled speculaas has a different composition from plain speculaas. The flavour name alone won’t tell you how an addition like this will turn out in Dutch doughnut batter.
Buy a bar if you’re looking for a snack. If you want to try adding speculaas crumbs to the batter, choose a product based on its ingredients and test a small amount of batter first.
Speculaas products may contain wheat, spelt, milk, soya, egg or nuts, among other ingredients. Warnings about the possible presence of other allergens also vary from product to product.
Check the physical packaging every time you buy, rather than relying on the flavour name or a product page you looked at before.
Jumbo still displays a product page for the Milka Speculaas chocolate bar, but says it’s no longer part of its online range.
Check whether the product is available to order from your chosen shop just before you buy.
According to the Netherlands Nutrition Centre, oil above 175 °C can burn the outside of a Dutch doughnut while the inside is still undercooked. Adding too much batter at once will cool the oil.
Follow the safety guidance of no more than 175 °C, fill the fryer no more than halfway and fry small batches at a time.
The Crunchy Bar Amandel Speculaas on Albert Heijn’s product page is a cereal bar with almonds, seeds and spices, designed as a snack to enjoy while baking.
The Speculoos protein bar on Albert Heijn’s product page is a single 60 g bar.
According to Albert Heijn, Protein Oat Bars Biscoff are oat bars with soya protein crunch and a speculoos topping, sold in packs of three 50 g bars.
Jumbo Roomboter Speculaas Reepjes are filled speculaas bars for anyone looking for more than a single snack bar.
The Speculaas chocolate bar on Jumbo’s product page combines chocolate with a cocoa cream filling and spiced biscuit pieces.
These Holie's Chewy Bar varieties are suited to enjoying as a speculaas snack while making Dutch doughnuts, not as a choice of plain speculaas to add to the batter. Pack sizes vary, so choose according to how many bars you want to buy and check the portion sizes on the packaging.
Image unavailable
A speculaas snack for baking breaks, if a pack of 3 × 35 g suits your plans.
Before buying, check the current packaging for ingredients, allergens and how the bars are divided into portions.
Image unavailable
A larger pack of speculaas snacks for anyone planning more than one snack break.
The product name states that there are 11 packs, each containing 3 bars. If separate portions matter to you, check how the bars are packed within each pack, and read the current ingredients and allergen information.
A speculaas bar isn’t automatically suitable as an ingredient in Dutch doughnut batter. Protein, chocolate and filled bars contain different ingredients from plain speculaas. If you want to add speculaas crumbs, check the ingredients first and try a small amount of batter.
The Netherlands Nutrition Centre recommends a frying temperature of no more than 175 °C. Follow your fryer’s instructions too, and don’t fry too many at once. Allerhande’s classic Dutch doughnut recipe specifies 180 °C, which is higher than this safety guideline.
Read the label on the current packaging before buying and using the product. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says that 14 allergens must be clearly indicated on the labels of pre-packed foods. Depending on the bar you choose, look out for cereals containing gluten, milk, soya, egg, peanuts and nuts, among other allergens.
