What Are Tim Tams and Can I Get Them in America?

A childhood friend of mine moved to Australia several years ago and his three-year old child is mad about Tim Tams. I said, “Hey buddy ol’ pal, what in the Sam Hill is a Tim Tam?” He gave me the rundown, which I will now share with you, straight from the wallaby’s mouth.

What are Tim Tams?

Unlike vegemite, which might be the most divisive food of all time, Tim Tams are beloved by literally everyone. While it may look like a chocolate bar, it is actually a type of biscuit (that’s a cookie to you Yanks). Inside each chocolate-covered Tim Tam are two malted biscuits (cookies) that sandwich a chocolate cream filling. 

Malted biscuits, when compared to other biscuits and cookies, are less sweet and have a slightly nuttier taste; this is a result of the malt grain used to make them. It’s the same ingredient in Whoppers.

It’s a good thing that the biscuit in a Tim Tam isn’t too sweet, because the interior chocolate cream and outer chocolate coating more than make up for it. The coating and interior of an original Tim Tam is milk chocolate, but they have expanded their line-up to include dark chocolate, mint, raspberry, and caramel, among others.

Where are Tim Tams from?

Much in the same way that Pocky has become the iconic cookie export from Japan, Tim Tams are the representatives from Australia. 

The biscuit hit the market in 1964. They were created by an employee of Arnott’s, an Australian snack food company, who was inspired to make a better version of the UK’s Penguin biscuit. 

The name Tim Tam came from a horse. Ross Arnott, the owner of the company at the time, chose the name after he attended the 1958 Kentucky Derby, which was won by a horse named Tim Tam.

The biscuit took the sub-continent by storm. In 2008, they began importing Tim Tams to America through an association with Pepperidge Farm. So now, you are highly likely to find them in many grocery stores nationwide.

How do you eat Tim Tams?

I always find it funny when people ask, “Well, how do you eat that?” My simple answer: Shove it in your mouth. But apparently, there is a special way to eat a Tim Tam.

It’s called the Tim Tam Slam, and all the kids are doing it. The trend involves biting both ends of the Tim Tam off and placing one end in a hot beverage. Then, you suck the beverage through the Tim Tam like a straw. The liquid softens up the biscuit and chocolate and then you eat the whole thing.

Other names for the Tim Tam Slam: Tim Tam Suck, Tim Tam Bomb, Tim Tam Explosion, Tim Tam Shotgun, and Tim Tam Bong. Despite all these terms, there’s one thing that is certain: A Tim Tam Slam by any other name is just as sweet.