Generality
Milk biscuits are typical English sweet foods, which belong to the dry pastry group.
They are characterized by a high milk content and are mainly used as a soaking food or as a sweet snack.
The "Malted Milk" were the first milk biscuits "properly so called"; they were introduced on the market in 1924 by the “Elkes Biscuits” of Uttoxeter (England). Today the company is owned by the equally British "Fox" s Biscuits ".
The most popular traditional milk biscuits are three, respectively belonging to different companies and recognizable by the specific design they depict:
- Two milk containers and a cow.
- A cow and a fence.
- A cow and a calf.
Some variations of milk biscuits include:
- Aroma of vanilla, cocoa or banana.
- A chocolate coating.
- The formation of a sandwich with vanilla cream sandwiched between two biscuits.
More "healthy" variants of traditional milk biscuits have recently appeared, with the following characteristics:
- Wheat-free.
- Less added sugars.
- Without synthetic sweeteners.
- Source of calcium.
- Source of "healthy" energy.
Nutritional Characteristics
ATTENTION! The above values refer to a packaged commercial food.
Milk cookies are sweet foods that contain added sugar.
They have a considerable caloric intake, which can increase or decrease according to the recipe (amount of butter, type of milk, amount of sugar, etc.).
Energy comes mainly from carbohydrates, followed by lipids and finally proteins.
Carbohydrates are essentially complex (starch), unsaturated fatty acids and high and medium biological value proteins.
Milk biscuits contain a significant amount of cholesterol.
The fibers are satisfying.
Among the vitamins there is a good content of thiamine (vitamin B1), riboflavin (vitamin B2) and tocopherols (vitamin E).
As for the mineral salts, there is a certain content of sodium (which increases with the addition of table salt), phosphorus, calcium and iron (the latter not totally bioavailable).
Milk biscuits, although less "harmful" than shortbread biscuits, are not suitable for frequent and systematic consumption by people suffering from overweight and metabolic diseases such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, hypertriglyceridemia and hypercholesterolemia.
They contain a small amount of lactose and massive doses of gluten; this means that they do not lend themselves to the diet for the related intolerances.
Admitted by the lacto ovo vegetarian philosophy, they are unsuitable for the vegan one.
The average serving as breakfast food is 30 g (5-6 biscuits, about 125 kcal).
