18 Popular British Biscuits, Ranked

Cookies are a cultural staple in the U.K., where they are known as biscuits and are taken just as seriously as the cups of tea they are served with. The name stems from its Latin root, meaning twice-cooked. Unlike cookies like biscotti, whose name in Italian also means cooked twice, most biscuits in the U.K. are only cooked once. However, unlike cookies in the U.S., which are often praised for their soft, chewy texture, British biscuits tend to come with a satisfying snap or crunch.

This tea and biscuit ritual is even given a dedicated time of day, known as "elevenses," during which many take a short, culturally-accepted pause for a drink and a slightly sweet snack. Before the industrial revolution, a break at 11 o'clock usually involved alcohol. However, once tea became more accessible to the working classes, caffeine boosted workers' productivity. 

Even Paddington and Winnie the Pooh break for elevenses to enjoy a cup of tea and something sweet. Here are 18 famous biscuits in the U.K., ranked from worst to best, according to our tastebuds. Feel free to try them all and judge for yourself.

Malted Milks originated with Elkes in Staffordshire before they sold the company to now-popular manufacturer Fox's Biscuits. Named after its prominent malted and milky flavor, which is derived from barley malt extract combined with milk powder, the biscuits still come stamped with pictures of cows nearly 100 years after their inception.

While we respect their place in history, and the simplicity of the malted milk biscuit, this treat has some hard limits on what it can and cannot do. In our opinion, malted milk is good for two particular purposes: Firstly, it is a classic tea-dunking biscuit, and we would happily accept one to do just that. Secondly, crushed and combined with melted butter, we also think it would make a brilliant cheesecake base. However, unless they came as a cheesecake or with a cuppa, we'd likely politely decline one if offered. 

Attend any children's party under age 10 in Britain, and you'll likely find a pack of Party Rings. Since they first went to market in 1983, Party Rings have become a regular part of celebrations.

These crunchy, inoffensively sweet snacks come in two sizes: The mini size, portioned into individual-sized packs, is perfect for tucking into party bags.  The real joy, however, lies in the regular size Party Rings. Their perfect pinky-finger-sized circumference, durable crunchy texture, and cheerful pastel-colored icing designs are best eaten when stacked up like rings onto the sticky fingers of the little party-goers, then nibbled off. It is practically the only way to eat them, and, undoubtedly, the best way to extract as much joy as possible from the process.

Though they are not necessarily memorable in their taste, eating Party Rings biscuits without the association of happy memories is nearly impossible.

Ginger Nuts (not to be confused with gingerbread) first debuted in the U.K. around the 1840s. Their unique name refers to their golden, red-ish color, associated with the British nickname for redheads.

Ginger Nuts are another highly dunkable biscuit. Though slightly lackluster on their own, the spiced biscuit is brilliant when paired with a drink, preferably black tea with a splash of milk. With a strong ginger taste, a good crunchy texture, and the ability to soak up the equivalent of a mouthful of tea with a single dunk, ginger nuts are a firm favorite amongst many adults in the U.K. looking for a little something to pair with their elevenses cuppa. That said, when tested out amongst the younger, non-tea-drinking folks, they tended to fall a bit short, especially when compared with anything brightly colored, marshmallow-filled, or covered in chocolate.

The British really seem to excel in giving their biscuits memorable names. Case in point: Hobnobs. The term "hobnobbing" has changed over time, originally meaning "to drink to each other," then slowly morphing to mean to take turns buying rounds of drinks, and eventually meaning to socialize with people from higher class or social status. 

The Hobnob biscuit introduced its biscuits to the British public in 1985. This was a few decades after Hobnob producers McVities were hobnobbing themselves, which according to the brand, resulted in making the wedding cake for the late Queen Elizabeth and Prince Philip Mountbatten. The royal cake was later distributed amidst the post-WWII rationing that was still in place in 1947. Anyone else marrying at that time who wasn't royalty often resorted to using cardboard facades instead of real cake, due to post-war rationing.  

These hearty, oaty biscuits have a slightly caramelized taste. Hobnobs taste almost wholesome due to their inclusion of whole oats. Textured and rustic, these are a solid biscuit for dunking, but one we'd happily accept on its own as well, especially if offered one of their chocolate-coated varieties.

Cadbury Dairy Milk Fingers are popular chocolate biscuits that are another children's birthday party staple in much of the U.K., whether used to decorate cakes or to be eaten on their own. They now come in an eye-watering wide range of flavors from Turkish delight to pineapple, but it is the classic chocolate flavor that is the children's party favorite. 

You can see why children like them; the texture is just as appealing as the taste. The ratio of biscuit to chocolate is just enough to make them satisfying, but not sickly sweet, as long as you don't eat more than a few. After consuming about three or so, the milk chocolate becomes a bit overwhelming. The dark chocolate version offers an even better balance for the older, less sweet-tolerant, and more savory-leaning palate. 

Overall, we give these chocolate biscuits a good rating. They are a well-designed product that we'd be happy to nibble on while wading through any overstimulating children's party.

This is a biscuit for those who may have aged past their sweet baby teeth but are longing for a way to relive some of their nostalgia with biscuits. Jam'n Creams are a hybrid biscuit of Custard Creams meets Jammie Dodgers, achieved by cherry-picking the best attributes of each biscuit and then combining forces. Open up a package of these — or any like them (many brands replicate this combination) — and you'll find a slather of vanilla cream and a small dollop of raspberry jam sitting between two shortcrust cookies, complete with the desired textural snap or crunch associated with most British biscuits.

Fox's, the makers of these childhood-meets-adulthood-inspired biscuits, has been at it since 1853 with their ubiquitous brandy snaps. According to the website, the manufacturers produce more than 6 billion biscuits annually, divided between varieties. With the U.K. population at an estimated 67 million, there are significantly more biscuits on the island than there are people!

Digestive biscuits have come a long way since their first inception, where it was touted as a digestive aid. Though the biscuit's use of baking soda was quickly disproven as a digestive aid once cooked, it did create a delicious byproduct; one which could be argued to have some gastro-aiding properties when made from fiber-rich wholewheat flour. Regardless of their uses (the name stuck as did the biscuit), which has since been adapted and changed to include all kinds of sweet variations from chocolate chips to caramel.

While we seriously doubt there are any associated health properties in these Caramel Digestives — we don't care. Layered with texture including a crunch of the biscuit, a melty-ness from the coating of chocolate, and a stretchy pull from the caramel that sits between the two, these would be perfect alongside a cup of bitter coffee. The texture and taste remind us slightly of a stroopwafel, which is never a bad thing!

Scottish shortbreads company Walker's knows a thing or two about how to produce shortbread. After all, they've been perfecting the craft since the late-19th century! The efforts have resulted in a perfectly chubby, lightly golden biscuit perfect for dunking.

This biscuit doesn't need the bells and whistles of marshmallows, chocolate, or anything else. It's perfect just as it is, with a satisfyingly rich buttery taste accented by a bit of salt, and cut into just the right thickness to achieve a satisfying snap when bitten into. Its slightly crumbly texture quickly absorbs whatever it might be dunked into, whether it's tea, coffee, or a cold glass of milk.

This is a classic, timeless biscuit that we believe will never go out of style. Thankfully, shortbread is also simple to make for those wishing to try it at home.

Tunnocks, now known for its irresistible nationwide treats like the Caramel Wafer, and the Tea Cake, started life as a simple bakery. Opened in 1890, its first brick-and-mortar location was destroyed by fire. The company rebuilt in a new location at Loanhead Mansions in Uddingston, eventually serving as a home to the business's first tearoom, which proved highly successful. Archie, son of the founder Thomas Tunnock, eventually took over his father's passing in 1921, creating the Carmel Wafer in 1952. Let it be said that the Tunnock family was known for their palates. In 1956, Archie's son Boyd came up with the idea for the Tunnock teacake, making Boyd one of our favorite inventors.

Tea cakes have made it to the top of this list for various reasons. They are light and fluffy due to the generous amounts of marshmallow but are balanced out by a slightly soft biscuity base within a thin, crisp chocolate coating. While not for dunking, these are delicious stand-alone biscuits. Though we've included their milk chocolate version here, lovers of dark chocolate should bypass the milk chocolate for the more bitter version.