Tunnock's Caramel Wafer: Why It Stays Crisp, What to Drink

Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafers: Why They Stay Crisp

The cleverest part of a Tunnock's Caramel Wafer is the part with almost no flavour: the wafer. It is the reason the bar can sit against wet caramel for months and still crack when you bite it.

Published 26 Sep 2026 Curator-written, not crowdsourced

Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafers: Why They Stay Crisp, in summary: Thin, dry wafer layered with caramel and sealed in milk chocolate, eight wrapped 30g bars to the box. It keeps for months and travels well; eat it with a strong unsweetened tea, never dunked.

Last reviewed by the teas.co.uk team in September 2026.

The cleverest part of a Tunnock's Caramel Wafer is the part with almost no flavour: the wafer. It is the reason the bar can sit against wet caramel for months and still crack when you bite it.

The wafer is the clever part

Caramel is wet, and most biscuits left against something wet go soft within hours. A wafer is baked so thin and so dry that there is almost nothing in it to take up moisture, which lets it share a bar with caramel and stay crisp. It suited exactly what Archie Tunnock was after in 1952, when he created the Caramel Wafer because he needed something that would keep longer than a cake.

The milk chocolate coating does two jobs. It flavours the bar, mildly and sweetly, but it also wraps the whole stack, holding the layers together and keeping damp air away from the wafer inside. Five layers of wafer and four of caramel, in the brand's own count, give each bite some substance, while the caramel supplies nearly all of the taste.

Built for a coat pocket

This multipack holds eight individually wrapped wafers, 240g in all, so each bar is 30g. The wrapper is what makes it travel: a Tunnock's survives a coat pocket, a lunchbox or a rucksack and emerges in one piece, with no tin required. That is a large part of why it is a hillwalker's favourite and a fixture of the tea tin at work.

The published allergen statement for this barcode lists wheat (gluten), milk and soya, so it is not one for a coeliac or a vegan household; check the current pack, because recipes can change. Store the box somewhere cool and dark with the wrappers sealed, since warmth softens the caramel and dulls the coating.

Cold, warm and what to pour

Whether to chill them is a matter of taste rather than a rule. From the fridge the caramel firms, the chew turns into a snap and the bar tastes less sweet, because cold dulls the perception of sugar. Left at room temperature it keeps that soft, stretchy caramel, and plenty of people would not have it any other way. Chill one, leave one out, and compare.

With nothing bitter in the bar to push back, the cup has to do the balancing. A strong, unsweetened black tea is the classic partner, since tannin cuts through that much sugar cleanly, and black coffee works for the same reason. A weak milky tea struggles. Dunking is out: the coating wraps the bar and the caramel gives way the moment it warms.

The packs we stock

Tunnocks Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer Biscuits Multipack, 240g (barcode 5010975070095)

What the label says

The published ingredient list for Tunnocks Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafer Biscuits Multipack, 240g (barcode 5010975070095) says it contains wheat (gluten), milk and soya. Check the current UK pack before purchase; formulations and allergen advice can change.

Typical values per 100g	Per 100g
Energy	431 kcal
Fat	17.4g
of which saturates	12.7g
Carbohydrate	69.2g
of which sugars	34.7g
Fibre	2.5g
Protein	3.6g
Salt	0.7g

Ingredient and nutrition data for this barcode: Open Food Facts (openfoodfacts.org), ODbL. The pack in your hands is the final word.

What to drink with it

Teapigs Earl Grey Strong, 15 Tea Bags 37.5g: a strong black tea with bergamot, brisk enough to cut through a very sweet caramel.
Brew Tea Co Earl Grey Proper, 15 Tea Bags 45g: another full-flavoured Earl Grey for the work tea tin, best taken without sugar.
L'Or Nespresso Compatible Espresso Supremo Aluminium Coffee Intensity 10, 10 Capsules: a strong capsule espresso for Nespresso-compatible machines, bringing the bitterness a milk chocolate wafer lacks.

Elsewhere in the Tunnock's range

The full range is on the Tunnock's brand page.

FAQ

How many wafers are in the 240g multipack? Eight individually wrapped bars, so each one weighs 30g.

Why does a Tunnock's wafer stay crisp next to the caramel? The wafer is baked very thin and dry, so it has almost nothing to absorb moisture, and the chocolate coating seals the whole bar.

What allergens are in Tunnock's milk chocolate caramel wafers? The published statement for this barcode lists wheat (gluten), milk and soya. Check the current pack before buying.

Can you dunk a Tunnock's caramel wafer? No. The coating wraps the bar and the caramel softens as soon as it warms, so it collapses in the mug.

Who makes Tunnock's? The Tunnock family bakery in Uddingston, founded by Thomas Tunnock in December 1890 and still run by the family.

Curator's note: Put one in your coat pocket with a flask of strong tea and you will understand the fuss. On a plate at home it is simply very sweet, so brew accordingly. Lee, teas.co.uk, Tunbridge Wells.

In short: Tunnock's Milk Chocolate Caramel Wafers: Why They Stay Crisp

Field	Detail
Brand	Tunnock's
Packs we stock	240g
Category	Wafers
Allergens (as published)	It contains wheat (gluten), milk and soya.
Dunkable	No, eat it beside the mug
Best with	Strong black tea, no sugar
Occasion	Walks, lunchboxes and the work tea tin