Choose speculaas or speculoos if you want to serve a spiced biscuit at the Christmas market. If you’re looking for a less-spiced biscuit base for a dessert, digestive biscuits are a better fit. Choose a pack size to suit the number of guests, and check the ingredients, allergens and storage instructions for the variety you select.
If you want to serve biscuits at the Christmas market, start by working out how many guests you expect. Jumbo lists its Bakkers Speculaas as a 600 g pack with around 48 portions; ALDI lists Biscotto Bakkersspeculaas as 600 g and containing 48 biscuits. Portions and biscuits are not the same unit of measurement.
For a dessert, the key thing is the flavour you want to bring to the recipe. Lotus Bakeries also recommends Original Speculoos as an ingredient for cooking; digestive biscuits are another option if you don’t want speculaas spices to take centre stage.
The name speculaas doesn’t tell you enough about the ingredients in a particular variety. Lotus Bakeries lists wheat and soya in Original Speculoos, while Jumbo lists egg, milk and almonds, among other ingredients, in a filled butter variety. Read the label on your chosen product before buying and serving it.
First decide whether you want biscuits to serve or a base for a dessert. Then choose a suitable quantity and check the label on the exact variety you’re buying.
| What to consider | What to check when buying | Who is this important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Flavour and occasion | Choose deliberately between speculaas or speculoos with a spiced flavour and digestive biscuits, where those spices aren’t the main feature. Check the ingredients of the variety. | I want to serve recognisably spiced biscuits with hot drinks, not just a biscuit for a recipe. This is the top priority for around 33% of consumers. |
| Quantity and pack size | Compare the pack weight and, where listed, the number of biscuits or portions with your guest list. Also check the best-before date and storage instructions. | When I’m buying for a group, I want enough to hand out without having lots left over. This is the main consideration for around 25% of consumers. |
| Allergens and dietary requirements | Read the ingredients, allergen information and any warnings on the packaging of the exact variety you’ve chosen. | If any of my guests have a food allergy, I need to know what I can serve before I buy biscuits. For around 25% of consumers, checking this comes first. |
| Recipe or fibre preference | Decide which biscuit flavour will work with your dessert. Compare fibre per 100 g only between the specific varieties you’re considering, and check their ingredients at the same time. | I’m looking for the right biscuit base for my dessert, or I want to compare the fibre content of two varieties. This is the main factor in the choice for around 17% of consumers. |
Digestive biscuits won’t automatically work as a spiced Christmas market treat. You could end up serving a different flavour from the one you had in mind.
Before you buy, decide whether you need biscuits to serve with drinks, a biscuit base for a recipe, or both.
Plain, multigrain and filled varieties can contain different ingredients. Lotus Bakeries lists wheat and soya in Original Speculoos; Jumbo also lists egg, milk and almonds in a filled butter variety.
Check each pack you choose individually. If you’re buying loose biscuits at the Christmas market, ask about allergen information before you buy.
A 600 g pack could suit a group, but you may have biscuits left over if you’re expecting only a few guests or serving several varieties.
Plan the quantity around your guest list, and follow the best-before date and storage instructions on the pack.
An opened pack that you don’t use in time or store according to the label could go to waste.
Albert Heijn notes that product ingredients, nutritional information and allergen information can change.
Use online information to compare options, but read the packaging when you buy and check that the item you want is available.
Lotus Bakeries describes several Original Speculoos pack options, as well as a 6 Grains variety. This gives you a choice of pack sizes and ingredients within its speculoos range.
Albert Heijn has product pages for both digestive biscuits and speculaas, with several different forms of speculaas to compare.
Jumbo offers bakers’ speculaas and a filled butter variety with a different recipe.
ALDI’s Biscotto Bakkersspeculaas is an option if you want to plan around the number of biscuits in a pack.
Lidl lists Sondey as a brand of biscuits and has a product page for Sondey Speculoos biscuits.
These Joybuy products include speculaas and speculoos biscuits to serve, as well as a digestive biscuit for anyone looking for a different biscuit or a dessert base. If you’re planning for a group, choose by pack weight or stated number of biscuits, and read the label before serving.
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An option if you want to plan how many biscuits to hand out: the pack contains 8 biscuits and weighs 200 g. Use your guest list to work out how many packs you’ll need.
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A 600 g pack of bakers’ speculaas for anyone looking for biscuits to serve to a group. Check the number of biscuits on the packaging if you want to plan one per guest.
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For anyone looking to serve bakers’ speculaas in a 450 g pack. Check the number of biscuits on the pack if the number of guests will determine your choice.
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A speculoos option if you want to serve biscuits with drinks; the pack contains 250 g. Check the allergens on the physical packaging before offering them to guests.
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A 400 g pack of digestive biscuits to consider if you’re looking for a biscuit base rather than a biscuit where speculaas spices take centre stage. Check the label for ingredients and allergens.
No. Choose speculaas or speculoos here for a spiced biscuit; digestive biscuits are a different option when you don’t want that speculaas flavour to take centre stage. Compare the ingredients and consider whether you’ll serve the biscuits on their own or use them in a recipe.
Yes. According to the Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority, allergen information for unpackaged foods must be given to consumers in a way other than on a label. Ask before buying if you’re shopping for someone with a food allergy.
No. Lotus Bakeries lists wheat in Original Speculoos and several gluten-containing cereals in its 6 Grains variety. Check the ingredients and any gluten-free claim on the exact packaging, rather than relying on the product category as a whole.
Follow the storage instructions and best-before date on the pack you buy. When planning, consider when you’ll open the pack and how many biscuits you’ll actually serve.
