Bahlsen Russisch Brot ABC Alphabet Biscuits, 4.4 oz (125g)

Baked to European rules. Potassium bromate and azodicarbonamide, both used to treat flour in American baking, are not permitted in the European Union. Six food colours that are still common in American biscuits and iced cakes must carry a warning on the label here, so European bakers stopped using them. Titanium dioxide, used to make icing and coatings an opaque white, has been banned as a food colour in the EU since 2022. It is the same reason the ingredient list on the back of the pack is short.

Bahlsen's iconic Russisch Brot features crunchy, cocoa-flavored alphabet shapes with a light, airy texture and a subtle caramel note. A longtime favorite in Germany for both children and adults, these biscuits are light enough to snack on freely and playful enough to make a tea break feel a little more fun.

Deep blue pack of Russisch Brot — thin, crisp, dark cocoa meringue biscuits baked in the shape of letters of the alphabet. A German classic since the 19th century, and the novelty is the point: children spell words with them before eating them.

Almost no fat — 1.0 g per 100 g, because these are a meringue rather than a shortbread: sugar, flour and egg white, with no butter or oil at all. That makes them by far the lightest biscuit in this folder, and unusual on any biscuit shelf.

Cocoa is Rainforest Alliance sourced, with the certification mark on the pack.

Ingredients

Sugar, wheat flour, caramelized sugar syrup, starch (from wheat), hen's egg white powder, fat-reduced cocoa powder, emulsifier (lecithins), raising agent (sodium carbonates), whey products (from milk), flavoring.

Nutrition

US Nutrition Facts — 4 servings, serving size 25 g EU declaration — per 100 g

🇩🇪 PRODUCT OF GERMANY.

Allergens

Contains wheat (gluten), egg and milk.

Nutrition

Per 100 g: 1666 kJ / 393 kcal, 1.0 g fat (0.3 g saturates), 89 g carbohydrate of which 55 g sugars, 1.8 g fibre, 6.0 g protein, 0.20 g salt. Per serving of 25 g (4 servings per pack): 99 calories, 0 g fat, 20 mg sodium, 22 g carbohydrate, 0.4 g fibre, 13 g sugars, 1.7 g protein.