FavorFlav tests supermarket Bossche bollen: ‘A whole bubble of air instead of whipped cream? Ouch, that’s wrong’
Bossche bollen aren’t available at every supermarket, but when they’re on the chilled shelves somewhere, we strike. Which supermarket ‘sjekladebol’ tastes best? And which one should you avoid? The FavorFlav test panel took on the tough task of testing Bossche bollen from four different supermarkets. ‘This one looks like a turd, sorry to say.’
Simple, but oh so delicious: a huge choux bun packed with whipped cream, topped with a thick layer of chocolate on the outside. You can recognize the best bollen by that chocolate layer: it should completely cover the choux bun. And of course, the sjekladebol should be filled to the brim with fresh whipped cream. Do you eat it with a fork? Then everyone can tell you’re not from the south. Don’t be afraid of messy fingers—just bite into that delicious bol like an apple!
Where is Jumbo?
We got Bossche bollen from four supermarkets to compare them. Plus, Albert Heijn, Vomar and Dirk all have the Bossche bol in the chilled pastry section. Too bad they were sold out at Jumbo, because we’ve heard good things about them there. Lidl? No, they don’t do Bossche bollen, so unfortunately we have to leave them out of this test.
Bossche bollen: not cheap
The price of cocoa has never been as high as it is now. You can see that reflected in the price of supermarket Bossche bollen too. They’re easily 50 cents or even a euro (!) more expensive than last year. Plus went from €3.50 to €3.99, Albert Heijn from €3 to €4. Vomar and Dirk raised the price of Bossche bollen from €2.99 to €3.69. In each supermarket, this concerns a box containing two ‘sjekladebollen’.
A little cheating
Even more striking: the one from Albert Heijn is considerably lighter than the other test bollen. ‘It looks like milk chocolate,’ says Rik. ‘And surely that’s not right?’ Correct, it should be dark chocolate, but if a bol tastes good, we’re happy to bend the rules a little. They bent the rules at Dirk too, because those Bossche bollen aren’t nicely round and smooth, but bumpy and lumpy. ‘Looks like a turd, sorry to say,’ according to Bo. And Lauretta keeps it polite: ‘Less appealing. But perhaps the taste makes up for it.’
Oops, it happens
When we cut the bollen open, one thing stands out: the Albert Heijn bol seems to be only half-filled. There’s a large bubble of air inside where whipped cream could have been. Is this a mistake? It happens, of course. The second bol (fortunately, they come together in a box) is full of whipped cream. ‘That glaze is very tasty, despite the light color,’ Lauretta says as she tastes it. ‘A thick layer too, just look!’ And the whipped cream tastes good as well.
Saving the world
The tastiest bol in the test is also one of the most expensive: two bollen for €3.99, bought at Plus. The whipped cream seems to have been whipped a little too far: when you look at it, you can see some bumps. But it tastes fine, and the glaze is genuinely delicious. Bonus: this bol is made with Fairtrade cocoa. There you go—saving the world by eating one of these bollen.
Greasy layer
We’re less enthusiastic about the Vomar bol. ‘The whipped cream looks like cottage cheese,’ says Bo. ‘Not tasty, but grainy.’ Rik: ‘This whipped cream leaves a greasy layer stuck to the roof of your mouth.’ And the bol that doesn’t look very attractive, the one from Dirk? ‘Quite tasty, but the chocolate layer doesn’t taste very good. It seems like cheap chocolate, that cocoa-flavored stuff,’ says Rik.
Letting it slide
So there’s quite a difference between the Bossche bollen, with the Plus bol as the winner and the Albert Heijn as a solid second—if you’re willing to overlook its light color and a somewhat sparsely filled choux bun.
