Tim Tam’s are such an iconic chocolate biscuit in Australia. One of my true sweet loves, these are so addictive and decadent – it’s so hard to stop eating them. I’ve found a way to make them even MORE amazing with this easy recipe for ultra delicious and soft cookies that are sure to wow .
Hold up.
I’ve jumped ahead a little here.
What is a Tim Tam?
A Tim Tam is a brand of chocolate biscuit made by the Australian company Arnott’s. This biscuit has a cult following, and is something I think every pantry in Australia hold some stock of. The iconic biscuit was created by the the company after employees trying ‘Penguin Biscuits’ in the UK – they simply set out to make a better biscuit.
And so the Tim Tam was born. Today there are so many varieties of the chocolate biscuit, but the Original recipe features two malt biscuits between which there is a thin layer of chocolate cream. This sandwich is then coated in another thin layer of milk chocolate. My personal favourite varieties of Tim Tam definitely include the dark chocolate range, their partnership with Gelato Messina (another absolutely iconic Australian brand) and their new Crafted Collection which features delicious Australian flavours.
Disclaimer – this post is NOT sponsored in any way, shape or form by Arnott’s!
How to make the perfect cookie?
An important question, with many different takes.
I have a very simple approach to this.
Unless the recipe says otherwise, EVERYTHING MUST BE AT ROOM TEMPERATURE!
This is possibly the most important thing in baking. The cookie shape, texture and overall finish changes so drastically when you change the temperature of the ingredients.
2. Whisk and/or sift the dry ingredients first
By whisking or sifting the flours and dry ingredients beforehand you reduce the need to mix the cookie dough heavily because all the lumps are gone. A simple but super effective trick!
3. Check the vanilla!
All too often I see people using vanilla that is a little bit too old for use. Remember that frequently opening the vanilla extract bottle allows for bacteria to enter it, and if this bottle has been lying around for a while, I suggest throwing it away and buying it fresh!
4. Yes there is a difference between Baking Soda and Baking Powder
Both ingredients achieve different things in a recipe and they react differently to the ingredients. Baking and cooking is ultimately all about the chemistry of the ingredients you are using so trust the process and trust the recipe!
You can find an awesome explanation about the two on Sally’s Baking Addiction. It lays out the difference in really clear language!
5. Rotate your baking tray
Not as important with newer ovens, but regardless this is something I always do when baking. Rotate the tray at the very least half-way through. For cookies typically this is at the 5 minute mark, but for cakes I often rotate them a couple of times as these are baking for longer in the oven. By rotating the tray you are ensuring an even bake on your cookies and/or baked goods.
6. Use a spoon or ice-cream scoop for the cookies
The best way to get beautifully even and round cookies is with an ice-cream scoop or a large tablespoon. The sizes will match and you also won’t end up with dough all over your hands.
7. Shape the cookies while warm
I got this tip for Hetal the creator of Milk and Cardamom and former Masterchef contestant off of Instagram. While the cookies are hot from the oven, use a cookie cutter, mug, cup, jar (or anything round really) that fits around the cookie and rotate the weapon of choice to wiggle and jiggle the cookie a little. This will smooth out all the funky curves that have been created and help you achieve a beautifully round cookie.
How to make Tim Tam Cookies?
So the real question here is, why are these any more special that a regular cookie?
Well for starters, these have delicious Tim Tam chunks in them.
But, these cookies also have a bit of a secret ingredient, which is optional, but I think you definitely want to include it.
I had a little bit of drinking chocolate into the batter.
WHAT?
It sounds absurd! But it adds a little hit of milky, creamy and chocolately flavour to the cookie that doesn’t take over from the basic vanilla cookie and Tim Tam flavour. The added drinking chocolate simply compliments the Tim Tams and I find it really brings out that malted chocolate biscuit flavour.
A simple addition to the cookies, but oh so amazing.
For this recipe I have used one of my favourite local finds from Canberra, the Jasper & Myrtle Spiced Rum Toddy Drinking Chocolate. Not only is the chocolate from here incredible, these drinking chocolates are super luxurious. I highly recommend trying out their range!
So, How do we make the best cookies ever?
Here is your recipe! The awesome thing is you can use ANY type of Tim Tam for this recipe including the flavour ranges. In the photos for this post I have used the Manuka Honey crunch Tim Tams (so delicious!)
Tim Tam Cookies
Equipment
- Oven
- baking tray
- stand mixer or electric beater
- cookie scoop
Ingredients
- 220 g unsalted butter at room temperature
- 180 g brown sugar
- 100 g white sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 300 g plain flour roughly 2¼ cups
- 1 tsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 1 packet Tim Tams
- ½ tsp drinking chocolate
Instructions
- Pre-heat the oven to 180 ° Celsius and prepare a baking tray with baking paper
- Chop the Tim Tams into small chunks. I cut them into 1 cm pieces
- In a large bowl, combine the flour, salt, and baking soda using a whisk to loosen the lumps. Alternatively sift everything into the bowl
- Using a stand mixer combine the butter, brown sugar and caster sugar together using the paddle attachment. Beat these ingredients for roughly 2 minutes until they are light and creamy
- To the butter and sugar, add the eggs (one at a time) and beat till smooth and creamy. Follow this with the vanilla and beat the mixture for about 1 minute adding roughly ¼cup of the flour mixture at a time, add the flour and fold this through. Mix the batter until it is just smooth – do not overbeat otherwise the cookies will turn out dry and tough
- Add roughly ¾ of the chopped Tim Tams to the batter, leaving some pieces to top the cookies. Fold these in gently using a spatula
- It's optional to chill the batter for 20 minutes, but if you are ready to bake, use an ice cream scoop or large spoon to scoop out cookie dough balls onto the baking tray roughly 2 inches apart from each other (these cookies spread!)
- Top each cookie with some Tim Tam chunks and some sea salt flakes
- Place the baking tray in the oven and bake the cookies for 10-12 minutes, rotating them half way through. For a really chewy cookie, bake for 10 minutes. If you prefer something a bit crispy then bake for 12. The cookies should be lovely and golden brown
- Once baked, remove the tray from the oven and let the cookies cool for a couple of minutes before transferring them onto a cooling rack to let their based crisp up
I hope you enjoyed this recipe! These have been an incredibly popular cookie request particularly in the office. Share your recipe attempts with me n Instagram @theminiaturelife and be sure to DM me so that I can see your wonderful work!
