Choose traditional speculaas biscuits if you’re mainly after a crisp biscuit flavoured with speculaas spices. If you’re looking for a chocolate flavour, distinguish between speculaas biscuits coated in dark chocolate and a chocolate bar with speculoos: these are different types of product. Check the packaging for the chocolate’s cocoa content, sugars per 100 g, serving size and allergens. The word ‘dark’ doesn’t tell you the nutritional value of the whole product.
If you want more cocoa than you’d get from a milk-chocolate-style flavour, look at both the cocoa content and the type of product. Albert Heijn’s product information says the chocolate couverture in Hands Off Amsterdam Speculoos contains at least 51% cocoa solids. Jumbo states that Verkade Speculaas Melkchocolade contains at least 29% cocoa solids in its milk chocolate. Neither is a traditional speculaas biscuit with a dark chocolate coating.
If you’d rather have a speculaas biscuit with breakfast than chocolate as the main ingredient, traditional baker’s speculaas biscuits are a different choice from a filled bar. Check the nutritional information on the packaging to find the serving size that suits you.
Use the ingredients list and allergen statement for the specific product to make your decision. A product being described as plant-based doesn’t mean it’s free from wheat or soya, or that the packaging won’t warn of possible traces of milk or nuts.
First decide whether you mean a speculaas biscuit, a biscuit with a chocolate coating or a chocolate bar with speculoos. Then compare the label details that matter most to you.
| What to consider | What to check | Who is this most important for? |
|---|---|---|
| Cocoa flavour | Check whether the cocoa is in the biscuit, coating or bar, and what cocoa content is stated for the chocolate. | If I’m mainly looking for a distinct cocoa flavour, I want to know which part of the product the percentage refers to. Around 36% of consumers prioritise that cocoa flavour. |
| Product type and serving size | Check the stated serving size and compare the nutritional values per 100 g; a biscuit and a filled bar are different types of product. | If you want a small biscuit with breakfast rather than chocolate as the main flavour, take the serving size into account. For around 29% of consumers, product type and serving size are their main concern. |
| Allergens and ingredients | Check the current packaging for both the listed allergens and any warnings about possible traces. | If I need to avoid certain ingredients, I can’t rely on the word ‘plant-based’ alone. Around 21% of consumers prioritise ingredient suitability. |
| Current range | Check shortly before buying that the exact variety you’re looking for is still available. | If you’re specifically looking for a speculaas biscuit with dark chocolate, a product page for a variety that’s no longer sold isn’t much help. For around 14% of consumers, current availability matters most. |
Albert Heijn’s product page for AH Speculaas Met Pure Chocolade says ‘Discontinued’. So the product name alone doesn’t confirm that you can buy that particular biscuit.
Check the current availability of the variety you’re interested in shortly before buying.
Hands Off Amsterdam Speculoos is a chocolate bar with speculoos filling and pieces of speculoos. Albert Heijn’s and Jumbo’s traditional baker’s speculaas biscuits are biscuits with no chocolate coating listed.
First decide whether you want a biscuit or mainly chocolate, then compare products of the same type.
Albert Heijn’s product information states that the chocolate couverture in Hands Off Amsterdam Speculoos contains at least 51% cocoa solids, but the bar also contains 40 g of sugars and 17 g of saturated fat per 100 g.
Check the cocoa content alongside the nutritional information for the whole product, and consider how much you plan to eat.
The product information for the Hands Off bar lists soya and wheat, among other ingredients, and warns that it may contain traces of milk, peanuts and nuts. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information for prepacked foods must appear on the label.
So check the full allergen statement on the current packaging, even if the product is described as plant-based.
Worth considering for traditional baker’s speculaas biscuits and to understand the difference from a variety with dark chocolate that was sold previously.
Worth considering for a traditional baker’s speculaas variety, but not as confirmation of a speculaas biscuit with dark chocolate.
Worth considering if you’re looking at speculoos biscuits or speculoos spread.
Worth considering if you’re looking for a chocolate bar with speculoos and a clearly stated cocoa content.
A useful example of milk chocolate with pieces of speculaas, rather than a dark chocolate variety.
No, those words don’t tell you the nutritional value of the whole product. Check whether it’s a biscuit, a chocolate coating or a filled bar, then look at the sugars per 100 g and the stated serving size. For example, Albert Heijn lists 40 g of sugars per 100 g of the Hands Off Amsterdam Speculoos bar.
Read the description of the chocolate and check the cocoa content for the specific product. Albert Heijn states that the chocolate couverture in Hands Off Amsterdam Speculoos contains at least 51% cocoa solids; Jumbo lists at least 29% in the milk chocolate in Verkade Speculaas Melkchocolade. Both are bars, not traditional speculaas biscuits.
Check the allergen statement for the product you’re buying, including any ‘may contain’ warnings. Depending on the product, the information may list wheat, soya, milk, peanuts or nuts, among other allergens. The Netherlands Food and Consumer Product Safety Authority says allergen information for prepacked foods appears on the label.
Follow the storage instructions for the specific product. For AH Bakkers speculaas, Albert Heijn recommends keeping it in a sealed tin in a cool, dark, dry place after opening; for Hands Off Amsterdam Speculoos, the product information says to store it in a cool, dry place.
