This may sound part silly and part overly dramatic – but what I’m about to say is 100% the truth and nothing but the truth. My very first moment of unbridled joy and ecstasy when I moved to the US in early 2014 was discovering Tim Tams on the shelves at a local supermarket. I even have photo evidence of it. Still. 🙂 As a Kiwi who also lived in Australia for a number of years, I have a long history with TIM TAM. As long as I remember, actually. Tim Tam may as well be the national biscuit of Australia and New Zealand.
Tim Tam
For my readers who aren’t familiar with Tim Tam, let me quickly explain. Think of the most delicious chocolate cookie you’ve ever had. Now think of the most delicious crunchy, crumbly cookie you’ve ever had. Now imagine BOTH together with a subtle malt flavor to boot AND a creamy chocolate filling in the middle AND a chocolate coating all over. That’s what I’m talking about! As a side note – we call Tim Tams, BISCUITS in Australia and NZ. Not cookies. In fact all cookies are referred to as biscuits! 🙂 If you like your chocolate dark, then you have two flavors to choose from (in the US) – Dark Chocolate Tim Tam and Dark Mint Tim Tam. If you like caramel better, there’s Caramel Tim Tam with a caramel filling. You can find all four of these flavors at your local Target store. If you get to visit Australia and NZ, then you could get your hands on plenty more flavors – like chilli chocolate, strawberry chocolate, honeycomb chocolate, white chocolate, coconut cream etc.! When I roll back the clock on my memories and think of all the parties, get togethers, study sessions etc., there isn’t a time that doesn’t feature Tim Tam. It was the one friend that was always there, that was always the life of the party! 🙂
What’s a Tim Tam slam?
A Tim Tam Slam is essentially when you drink your coffee, hot chocolate or milk through a Tim Tam (as if it’s a straw!). You simply bite off two diagonally opposite corners of a Tim Tam, dip one end, and drink! The Tim Tam biscuit flavors your drink as it moves through the chocolate and it works like a charm (for a few insanely fun, delicious moments until the Tim Tam starts melting at least). I love having my Tim Tam Slam with a salted butterscotch latte while my husband likes it with a mocha or a French hot chocolate. The fun part is that no matter what drink you choose, you can change your Tim Tam Slam experience with differently flavored Tim Tams!
Tim tam slam flavor variations
For eg. with a butterscotch latte, here’s just a hint of what you can do –
Salted butterscotch latte + regular Tim Tam = Butterscotch mocha Tim Tam slam Salted butterscotch latte + caramel Tim Tam = Salted caramel mocha Tim Tam slam Salted butterscotch latte + dark chocolate Tim Tam = Dark chocolate butterscotch mocha Tim Tam slam Salted butterscotch latte + dark mint Tim Tam = Mint and butterscotch mocha Tim Tam slam
You get the picture right? There’s no shortage of fun to be had with this. Even though the Tim Tam is soaked through with the drink in a matter of seconds, nothing will stop you from reaching for another Tim Tam and repeating it again! Best of all, if you have all flavors of Tim Tam, you can experience your Salted Butterscotch Latte in four different ways, with four different flavor combinations. With the holiday season just around the corner, treat your friends and family to a fun time this year by pairing your hot beverages with a Tim Tam. Here are some imaginative, fun ways to serve Tim Tams as Christmas treats.
A Tim Tam slam with pumpkin spice lattes with pumpkin spice coffee creamer? Yum! How about a spiced warm homemade eggnog? Or maybe a gingerbread latte? A white Russian cocktail? Parisian hot chocolate, or peanut butter hot chocolate, or rocky road hot chocolate?
Recipe tips for the best Tim Tam Slam
Freeze your Tim Tams for best results. They last longer in your hot beverage when you start with chilled Tim Tams. Use shallower cups, glasses, jars with a wide mouth for your drinks. Or even cappuccino cups. The Tim Tams here act like short, stubby straws and they work better in these containers (as opposed to tall, narrow glasses). Make a fun game out of it! Who can Tim Tam Slam it the longest without losing the biscuit into the drink? Hint – you get much better with practice! Add some holiday cheer (cough booze cough) into your drink. Gives your Tim Tam Slamming experience a lot more potential!
And your kids will LOVE Tim Tam Slams too! Without the “holiday cheer” of course! They have enough holiday cheer to zap their brains as it is. Let the little ones drink their milk through a Tim Tam slam and see how much fun they have.
