Biscuit? Cookie? Cracker? It’s a treat!

Much like cookies, biscuits can be classified in many ways. While cookies are characterized by their flavors – vanilla, sugar, chocolate chip, M&M, and so on; biscuits are either thins, tea biscuits, and breakfast biscuits, to name a few. Here’s a good number of biscuits for those who find cookies too sweet and crackers too salty, or just might be looking for a delicious alternative to some of the heavier carb dessert, snack, and breakfast options out there.

1. Almond Thins

It’s been awhile since I’ve had Jules Destrooper almond thins. These are like ginger thins with almonds inside of them. Very crunchy and just the right amount of sweet. Great for dipping into coffee but not tea. Not good for those who suffer from nut allergies. These are what I consider the gateway to almond cookies and biscuits (more on that in part 4). Sometimes I can grab a box at Kroger, but availability might be dependent on the area.

2. Ginger Thins

Ginger thins are well, ginger. Think gingerbread. These are great for dipping in coffee and for making a different flavor pie crust during the holidays. I’ve had these from two places and they’re pretty similar – World Market and Ikea. World Market has an advantage by providing the fancy biscuit tin, which is much appreciated for storage, gift wrapping, or a later craft project.

3. Coffee Joy Biscuits

Coffee Joy coffee biscuits are on the top of my list for biscuits, and I mean the absolute tippy-top. I bought these at a Jungle Jim’s and because I had made a poor shopping decision to go when hungry, I was struggling to eat all my goodies. These come sealed in airtight packaging – even expired, they’re fresh and crunchy. They’re dusted with sugar granules, somewhat similarly to how those salt granules on pretzels are distributed – not all over, and not overpowering. Since they’re coffee, I didn’t need to dip them into coffee. The fact that they’re wrapped in smaller packaging also made these a fantastic diabetic snack to carry around. Needless to say, I was fairly disappointed when I found out that the item had been discontinued.

4. Belvita Blueberry and Cinnamon Brown Sugar Breakfast Biscuits

My first encounter with belVita breakfast biscuits was with the blueberry ones. Someone gave me a packet during the morning coffee break the lab I was in at the time used to do. I have to say – they’re pretty good, but it’s not something I’d want to eat regularly. Something about them tastes heavy and artificial. This might be a good option for those who need something to last them a little longer throughout the day. I do appreciate the packaging on these, which makes them an easy on-the-go breakfast option.

5. Tea Biscuits

Not unsurprisingly, tea biscuits are all somewhat similar in taste. Here’s four I’ve had the pleasure of having. They’re not sweet and not bland or salty. You’ll definitely have a dry feel in your mouth if you don’t dip them into something – tea, coffee, chocolate, cider, Nutella, peanut butter, or jam. This is my first mention of jam as I’m not one for jams and jellies, but they would be appropriate here since the flavors would complement rather than overpower. Unlike true crackers – I don’t advise eating them with cheeses and meats. Save that for the wine. Watch your expiry dates on these, since they do have a tendency to be crunchy and become soggy and flavorless if they’re allowed to soak up too much room humidity.

a. Kedem Tea Biscuits

I like Kedem tea biscuits because they come in three flavors – plain (most of us know this as original for other brands), vanilla, and chocolate. I see these very commonly at Kroger, Meijer, Walmart, and Target so it’s just a fairly safe bet at any grocery store. In contrast, the next three are not as common finds.

b. ETI Tea Biscuits

ETI tea biscuits are fairly similar to Kedem plain flavor. They’re crunchy and just sweet enough. Size wise these are larger, and that might make a difference depending on the mug size for dipping. I usually have to go to an international grocery to find these, or order on Amazon, which is always a gamble because sometimes they come broken.

c. Ulker Tea Biscuits

Ulker Tea Biscuits match well to both ETI and Kedem. Like ETI, I have to go to an international store or order on Amazon, risking broken biscuits and crumbs. Similar to Kedem is the taste and crunch. My favorite thing about these is how large the package is – instead of needing to buy several of the relatively small Kedem biscuits for entertaining, I can just grab one of these and I’m set.

d. The Social Tea

Unlike the three tea biscuits above, The Social Tea Biscuits by Nabisco strike me much more like shortbread cookies by both flavor and texture. I try not to eat too many of these due to the heavy butter/grease feeling.

6. Leibniz Butter Biscuits

Oddly enough, despite my dislike of The Social Tea biscuits, Leibniz Butter biscuits are a much enjoyed delicacy. These are light and both mildly salty and sweet. I could enjoy these with either coffee or tea, or even cheese and meat. Talk about a versatile treat!

7. Parle G Hide & Seek Biscuits

My first encounter with Parle-G Indian biscuits arose out of another poorly executed shopping trip. Being me, I was unable to resist chocolate while hungry. When I eventually go around to eating these, I learnt that they taste very artificial and chemical. Do not recommend.

8. Chinese Love Letter Biscuits

I’ve been having Chinese Love Letter Biscuits since I was a child. They’re light and fluffy, making them prone to generating crumbs. I would not dip these into anything warm, but having them with Nutella, jam, or another chocolate/hazelnut spread makes them delicious. Another option: put a scoop of ice cream on a very large one and you’ve go a perfect desert to rival some of the better European cafes.

I hope you’ve all enjoyed this part of the series. Stay tuned for more!