A while back, I was asked if I’d be willing to review Pepperidge Farm’s newly released Tim Tam cookies. A Tim Tam is a sandwich cookie with 2 light and crisp chocolate wafers, chocolate cream filling, and completely covered in chocolate. They're Australia's favorite cookie and haven't been available in the States, until now! I agreed to review them because I've always wanted to try these cookies and do the famous Tim Tam Slam. (And turning down triple chocolatey cookies? I do no such things.) However, I never got the logistics of how to do a Tim Tam Slam - I knew it was something about biting the ends off a cookie and using it as a straw for a hot beverage. Sounds cool. So I looked it up on Youtube, and whadoyaknow, I found a video of Natalie Imbruglia teaching a talk show host how to do a Tim Tam Slam. Perfect! Gotta love the internet.
The next morning I made a cup of strong Vietnamese coffee (I looove Trung Nguyen) and black tea and Steven and I did some Tim Tam Slams for breakfast.
First you bite a little corner of the cookies diagonally like so. Then you dip the cookie in the beverage and suck until you can feel the drink in your mouth and quickly eat the whole cookie. Don’t try to bite the cookie in half (I made this mistake) because it will squirt and fall apart so just eat the whole thing in one big bite. And you have to do this quickly otherwise the chocolate coating will melt and the cookie will fall apart as you're holding it.
I think it’s traditional to do the slam with tea but being partial to coffee myself, I much preferred the combination of strong coffee and chocolate. I also tried it with some cold milk because I thought cookies and milk was always a delicious combo but not in this case. The cold milk made the chocolate exterior cold and waxy and the cookie just didn’t taste right filled with cold milk - pretty gross actually. A hot beverage is definitely the way to go because the chocolate shell gets gooey and the insides are warm and melty. Mmm...! I really liked the caramel center in the caramel Tim Tam but the chewiness distracted from the overall soft gooey interior when you're doing the Tim Tam Slam, whereas the chocolate cream variety resulted in a uniformly soft and gooey cookie.
My conclusion? The Tim Tam Slam is a transcendent experience that everyone needs to experience. I would definitely urge people to try both kinds and see which you prefer. The only downside? Two cookies are 25% of your daily saturated fat! Ouch! I dunno what kind of magical ingredients they put in these to make them so damn tasty but it ain’t good for you that’s for sure. Another bummer is that these cookies are only available for a limited time in Target. You can get a $1 off coupon at http://www.ilovetimtamcookies.com/index.html. You need to do a Tim Tam Slam ASAP, you'll be glad you did.
Disclaimer and other ramblings:
While I love these cookies, they're a bit pricey. My local Target carries them for $3.34 for a 7oz. box. I think I will still get a few more boxes for the occasional treat because they are tasty. Now as for the other Pepperidge Farm stuff, I only buy Pirouettes, which are my favorite holiday treat. Pepperidge Farm stuff overall is usually on the expensive side. I've heard that Milanos are noticeably smaller nowadays, which is very disappointing, but I guess what brand hasn't been cutting back on costs with the economy being like this. Pirouettes are tasty except the Cappuccino flavor, which is horrendously disgusting. Being a coffee lover, I was obviously drawn to this flavor. I made the mistake of getting two tins and I hate them. They taste overwhelmingly of cinnamon and when I looked at the ingredient list, cinnamon shows up before coffee flavoring! I have never ever put cinnamon in my coffee, and I wonder who does?! Ugh, so gross!
13 comments:
Wow!!! I've never heard of the Tim Tam Slam... I've wanted to try these since they started being offered in the States.. but unfortunately, I don't have access to a Target until I go back home for summer. But when I get my first package... Tim Tam Slam I must. Thanks! =D
Impossible to turn down triple chocolately cookies. Impossible. Thanks for sharing a new taste sensation!
PS: I've noticed that about Milano cookies from Pepperidge Farm too. They just seem.... smaller... lately. Lame if you ask me.
Dan
Casual Kitchen
Tim Tams are indeed Australia's favourite - even though we call them biscuits, not cookies. The flavoured kind (like caramel or dark chocolate or mocha) are a recent innovation and shunned by traditionalists. Milk chocolate Tim Tams are the 'one true Tim Tam', and also the best for the Tim Tam slam.
As an aside, I wonder if there are any perceptable difference between the Pepperidge Farm version and the original Arnotts version, because in my experience US chocolate has a very different flavour than Australian chocolate. Still, it will save many expat Aussies from having to have their Tim Tam ration shipped over with their Vegemite and Violet Crumbles.
They sound good to me! I will have to look for them!
Thanks for the information. They look like something I used to love a lot - as a kid :-)Now I know where to look for them. Good for you. And me too!
Tim Tam's are the BEST cookies on the planet. Every time my friend goes home to Australia, he brings me back a package and I NEVER share. I just turn a blind eye to the fat and calories because they are that damn good. YUM!
It's weird how the groceries here carry tons of Pepperidge Farm stuff, yet no Tim Tam's. I have seen these at the Target only...I wondered what these were and why only Target carries them....now, I know to pick some up next time I cruise the TARJAY! Thanks!
Hi!
I just wanted to say that you can get these delicious cookies at Cost Plus World Market as well! They're not called Tim Tams, but they are the same cookie!
I personally like doing the slam with hot cocoa! Chocolate, chocolate, and more chocolate! That's my recipe for a good time!
I just found some Tim Tam's at my local Wegmans, Arnott's Chocolate biscuits!
Couldn't wait to get home and do a TimTamSLAM! with some hot cocoa! Twas awesome! Just make sure you let the hot drink cool to a drinkable temp. so you don't burn anything.
I don't usually like chocolate unless it's high quality. There are many grades of chocolate in the U.S. Ghirardellis is unanimously thought of as the best.
I tried both Pepperidge Farm - who's stuff I generally don't like - but the Tim Tams are decent. I wouldn't say there's a really big difference 'tween the two.
I don't usually like chocolate unless it's high quality. There are many grades of chocolate in the U.S. Ghirardellis is unanimously thought of as the best.
I tried both Pepperidge Farm - who's stuff I generally don't like - but the Tim Tams are decent. I wouldn't say there's a really big difference 'tween the two.
The chocolate is different in the US version from the Aussie version. We ate a lot of Tim Tams on our Australian honeymoon and dearly missed them when we returned to the states. I am SO happy to have them here at home now but they are definitely different. I personally like the US version better.
In response to user: Veracity - i lived in Australia and LOVED Tim Tams and missed them dearly when I moved back to the US. When I heard that Pepperidge Farms got a limited license to distribute them, I RAN to the nearest Target to get a few packages. Since you were wondering, yes, the Pepperidge Farm ones in America taste exactly like the Arnott's ones in Australia. I was immensely pleased that it's the same.
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