
Why we picked it
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The least sweet cookie in the range, at 11 g added sugar per 100 g.
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Whole ajwain and jeera, not a spice flavouring.
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The highest in fibre of the range, at 8.5 g per 100 g.
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The fat is butter and ghee. No palm oil and no hydrogenated fat.
What to look for in Cookies & Rusks?
What to look for in Cookies & Rusks?
- 01Read the first ingredient. If it is maida or refined wheat flour, the biscuit is mostly white flour, whatever the front of the pack says about millets.
- 02Check the fat. Butter, ghee or a named cold-pressed oil is what you want. Palm oil, vanaspati or an unnamed edible vegetable oil is the cheaper default.
- 03Jaggery, dates and misri are still sugar. Read the added sugar line on the nutrition panel, not just the words no refined sugar.
- 04Sugar free is not accurate on a biscuit sweetened with jaggery, dates or misri. All three count as sugar.
- 05Look for raising agents and emulsifiers such as INS 500, INS 503 or INS 322. A short list without them is a good sign.
- 06Check the shelf life. A few months points to small fresh batches. A year or more usually means preservatives or heavy processing.
What's inside
Kodo millet, little millet and jowar. 42% of the cookie, the highest millet content in the range.
Sunflower seeds, dates, almonds and cashews, ground into the dough. 14% of the cookie. Dates add some sweetness too.
Gives the cookie its short, crumbly bite. It replaces the palm oil most biscuits use.
Unrefined cane sugar. It is still sugar, and it is the main source of the added sugar on the panel.
A whole cereal flour that adds fibre and a nutty taste.
Red rice with its bran left on, ground into flour.
A small amount for flavour alongside the butter.
Whole cumin seeds for the savoury taste.
Carom seeds. Sharp and slightly peppery.
Gives the sweet and salty balance. This flavour has more salt than the others.
A pinch, mainly for colour.
Early Foods Ajwain & Jeera Jaggery Cookies vs other biscuits
| What to compare | Purepicked | Regular biscuits |
|---|---|---|
| Base flour | Kodo millet with little millet and jowar | Maida (refined wheat flour) |
| Sweetener | Jaggery and dates | Refined white sugar, often invert syrup |
| Fat | Butter and ghee | Palm oil or hydrogenated vegetable fat |
| Additives | None on the list | Raising agents, emulsifiers and flavours |
| Shelf life | 4 months | 9 to 12 months |
Nutrition facts · per 100 g
- Energy
- 449 kcal
- Protein
- 8.5 g
- Carbohydrate
- 61.6 g
- Total sugars
- 15.8 g
- Added sugars
- 11 g
- Dietary fibre
- 8.5 g
- Total fat
- 20.6 g
- Saturated fat
- 11.1 g
- Trans fat
- 0.04 g
- Cholesterol
- 0 mg
- Salt
- 1.6 g
How to use it
- Two cookies with a glass of milk after school
- Pack a few in the tiffin box for a mid-morning snack
- Serve with masala chai as a savoury tea-time biscuit
- Crumble over curd or a bowl of fruit for a bit of crunch
Is it for you?
Good for
Families moving off maida biscuits
Kids who can chew well, once they have a few teeth
Anyone avoiding palm oil
Vegetarians, as it has no egg
Avoid if
Anyone with a nut allergy, as it has almonds and cashews
Anyone with a dairy allergy or on a vegan diet, as it has butter and ghee
Anyone avoiding gluten, as barley contains gluten
Babies who cannot chew yet
Product details
- Sold by
- Purepicked
- Brand
- Early Foods
- Net quantity
- 86 g
- Type
- Cookies & Rusks
Also on the label
Questions people ask
Are these sweet or savoury?
Both. Whole ajwain, jeera and a little rock salt give a savoury edge, and they are less sweet than the rest of the range, closer to a tea-time jeera biscuit.
How much sugar and salt is in them?
11g added sugar per 100g, the least in the range, from jaggery and dates. They carry 1.6g salt per 100g, more than the other flavours.
Is it safe for nut, dairy or gluten allergies?
No. It contains almonds and cashews, plus butter and ghee, and the barley in it contains gluten.
Can I give these to young children?
They suit kids who can chew well, once they have a few teeth. They are not for babies who cannot chew yet. The nuts are ground into the dough, so there are no visible pieces.
What's the base flour?
Millet flour (kodo millet, with little millet and jowar) makes up 42% of the cookie, plus barley and red rice. No maida.
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