I come from a long line of biscuit dunkers.
My father dunked and his father before him. But the Tim Tam Slam is the very pinnacle of dunking excellence.
Dunking is a highly skilled process. It requires poise, confidence, a deep knowledge of your medium. A failure on any of these fronts will end in your biscuit dropping into your tea. Dunking’s tough – but it’s worth it!
The strategy needed to pull off the perfect Slam is more complex than any biscuit dunk known to man… but first things first.
A Tim Tam – for you poor devils who haven’t tried one – is a chocolate biscuit with a creamy filling and covered in a layer of choc.
The UK’s humble McVitie’s Penguin is where Tim Tams originate from, but like humans and the apes, Tim Tams have evolved to be an entirely more advanced creature.
A Tim Tam Slam occurs when you ‘drink’ a hot beverage through the Tim Tam like a straw. The hot liquid fills the biscuit, melting everything inside. You’re left with a chocolate bag of melty genius.
The Tim Tam Slam
Here’s what you need:
- A hot drink – tea, coffee, hot choc, mocca, chai… you get the idea.
- A pack of Tim Tams.
- Incisor teeth – 1 set of.
Here’s what you do:
- Bite the corner off your Tim Tam.
- Turn the Tim Tam and bite the diagonally opposite corner off.
- Hold the Tim Tam like a straw and dip the end in your drink.
- Suck your drink through the Tim Tam until some of your tasty beverage is in your mouth.
- Carefully but quickly eat your biscuit.
- Settle into a bed of pillows half-cut and enjoy the rush of pleasure as your mouth experiences tastebud nirvana.
Areas of danger:
- Don’t hold your Tim Tam in the drink too long or it will collapse and disappear into your tea. This is a horrible feeling, and – to be honest – an amateur mistake.
- Don’t take too long to eat your Tim Tam either. To hold it up and admire it is to beckon on a bickie apocalypse. As it is written, so the Tim Tam shall rise, so it shall fall. Right into your lap. Very messy.
- Biting the biscuit in half can also turn into choc-tastrophy. The insides are so soft and squishy, the whole thing will fall apart. Popping the whole thing in your mouth really is your best bet.
Which flavour to choose:
This is where things get personal. I enjoy the surety the Tim Tam Original affords. Mrs Romance, however, lives a life of opulence and indulgence, and so enjoys a Choc Double Coat Tim Tam to slam. She says the double chocolate coating gives the biscuit more structure so it doesn’t collapse as easily. It’s the thinnest veiled ruse I’ve ever heard of.
There are so many flavours to choose from here in Australia, we really are spoilt. The UK and Canada have a limited range to enjoy.
But recently, the game changed again! Famed patissier Adriano Zumbo has collaborated with Arnott’s to bring out three new incredible flavours. The Raspberry White Choc, the Salted Caramel and the Choc Brownie all hit stores 3rd March 2014 and the Slam Nation will be in its element!
In fact these new flavours have brought Mrs Romance and me closer together: we both love the Salted Caramel be it to slam or otherwise.
What is your favourite Tim Tam flavour? Or do you have a personal favourite bickie to dunk?
lara @swatchgirl.com
May I recommend also trying a lighter, more summery version? Make up a glass of nice cold matcha on good soy milk, completely bite the ends off a Tim Tam, then slurp that sucker up. The cold milk keeps the Tim Tam from melting and provides a longer, more refreshing slam with a refreshing and tasty combo of slightly sweet milky green tea and choc.
Citation: I am a big fat chick, therefore I am an expert on shoving Tim Tams into my cavernous maw.
Mrs Romance
Tim Tam Slams for all seasons! LOVE this idea Lara. You are a genius.
Sonia from Sonia Styling
This has to be one of your best posts ever – and it’s all down to that fantastic GIF of Jim doing the Slam! I know what will be making its way into my shopping trolley next week: one (possibly two) packets of salted caramel Tim Tams. Yum!
Mr Romance
Ha ha! I’m blushing, Sonia! I didn’t know how powerful my slam technique could be! 😉
Smaggle
I LOVE this one! I love Jim’s happy Tim Tam fingers at the end. Best.
Mr Romance
That’s spectacular, Smags! I tend to do those fingers a fair bit – they’re called Tim Tam fingers from now on though – or maybe Jim Tam fingers! Chris used to call them jazz hands… I prefer ‘Tim Tam hands’!
Mama Stylista
Love this post!! You guys are the best. The Tim Tam slam is a very fine skill and it could go horribly wrong. These tips are gold. I’m glad you mentioned the old school original McVitie’s Penguin btw! x
Mr Romance
It really can turn bad fast, Dee! I’ve had a couple of nasty ones where a whole chunk has fallen off into the drink. Very sad sight.
I just had to include Penguins – they’re a part of my school lunch heritage. They are slammable too, but not quite as good as Tim Tams I must admit.
Jx
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[…] MrAndMrsRomance.com today, we talk about how to do a Tim Tam Slam. It’s one of the most delicious things to eat the world has ever produced. So good in fact, […]
Melody
My sister introduced me to this a few years ago after her Australian roommate introduced it to her. Love.
Mrs Romance
I’m glad to hear other Aussies are spreading the word – it’s so good! Thanks for commenting Melody 🙂
Merindah Thornton
I was introduced to Tim Tam Slams by one of my favourite bands at the time (the 90s)- The Oxo Cubans. They wrote a song about it, but they did it a little differently to they way most people explain it- I think it works much better… Bite a slither off the entire end (not just the corners). Hold it in your teeth as you suck up your hot drink. Have a finger ready to help you shove it into your mouth just before it melts. As you get more practise, you’ll be able to do it without using a finger- no chocolate mess!
I taught many of my friends how to do a Tim Tam Slam. Then Arnotts put out an ad doing it the “wrong” way- I think that’s why the corner thing caught on.
Here’s the song:
https://youtu.be/ay8VD_NJ0Jk
Mr Romance
Hi Merindah. I’m actually a little bit shocked that Arnotts didn’t give credit to the Oxo Cubans for the Tim Tam Slam! I’ll have to give their way another go – I have tried biting the whole top off a biscuit in the past but I think I might’ve bitten too much off. Couldn’t get a good enough seal on the end.
Thanks for the story though – and for the video. The Oxo Cubans are certainly out there aren’t they?
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Caroline Knobloch
We tried these last night (midnight – Nashville, Tennessee, USA time), one Brit and two Yanks. Managed quite happily to get through two whole packets of Tim Tams while perfecting the art of dunking. Loved it. Off to the shops this afternoon to prepare for a repeat performance tonight. Thank you for introducing us to this delight. As an added bonus, the ‘1 g’ of protein per Tim Tam helped to satisfy any dietary concerns.
Mr Romance
Awesome! So glad you mastered it, Caroline! It’s amazing how easily that packet empties, isn’t it? A dangerous skill to have. That 1g of protein does make me feel better about the whole thing though! Hope the replay is as satisfying as your first – I bet it will be! Cheers Jim x