Tim Tams are an Australian biscuit (or cookie). I believe there is technically a difference between cookie and biscuit in the countries that use biscuit in terms of the texture of the baked good so even if using the word cookie it wouldn’t be applied here I think? Anyone an expert on this? 🙂 We don’t have that subtlety here in the US, so cookie it is.
Traditionally from my understanding Tim Tams have two layers of malted chocolate cookies with chocolate cream in between and then they are coated in chocolate coating. My version is similar but I use a strawberry flavored cream in the middle instead because the combo is SO good. My favorite way to give strawberry flavored components of baked goods a huge boost of flavor is to use freeze dried strawberry powder. In this case, I am using it in the strawberry buttercream filling for the cookies.
In order to make the cookies for these, the dough has to be rolled out and frozen for a bit so that it can be easily sliced into rectangles before baking. You want the cookies to as close to the same size as possible since you are doing to make sandwiches and coat them in chocolate. You could use a rectangular cookie cutter if you have one appropriately sized. I use a ruler and a pie cutter wheel to cut mine evenly.
You can use milk or dark chocolate to coat these. I use a mix of 50/50 milk and dark, because I prefer that. It is important to chill the filled cookies in the freezer before you attempt to coat them in chocolate or it will be much harder. I freeze them for about 30-60 minutes before coating. I find the easiest way to coat these is to place one at a time into the melted chocolate and spoon chocolate over any areas you miss. Remove with a fork and tap the fork on the bowl to allow excess chocolate to drip off. Then place on parchment lined baking sheet to allow chocolate to set up. You can place in the fridge to speed up the setting. I actually prefer to store these in the fridge and eat them cold, but are usually served room temp.
Tim Tams
Ingredients
For the cookies:
- 4 oz unsalted butter softened
- 1/2 cup sugar
- 1 egg room temp
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1/4 cup unsweetened dutch cocoa powder
- 1 cup flour
- pinch of salt
Strawberry buttercream:
- 4 oz unsalted butter softened
- 1 cup powdered confectioners sugar
- 2 tbsp freeze dried strawberry powder
- pinch of salt
Chocolate coating:
- 4 oz good dark chocolate like Lindt, Ghirardelli, etc
- 4 oz good milk chocolate
Instructions
For the cookies:
- Cream the butter and sugar in a stand mixer with the paddle attachment until pale and fluffy. Scrape down the bowl, add the egg and vanilla, and beat again until it is well mixed.
- Add the cocoa powder and beat well. Scrape down the bowl and add the flour and salt. Mix until just incorporated and finish mixing by hand. The dough will be very soft.
- Turn the dough onto parchment paper and top with another piece of parchment and flatten it out a bit. Use a rolling pin to roll the dough between the parchment layers to about 1/4 inch thick. Place on the back of a sheet pan and freeze for 30 minutes.
- Preheat oven to 350 and remove dough from the freezer. Using a pastry wheel and ruler, cut into 24 rectangles (about 1.5×2.5 inches each). Separate the rectangles on parchment lined baking sheets and bake for 10 minutes or until they appear slightly puffed and cooked. Transfer to a rack to cool completely.
For the buttercream:
- Cream the butter until soft, add the strawberry powder and sugar and beat until smooth, scraping down the bowl as needed.
For the coating:
- Break the chocolate into small pieces and microwave in 20 second intervals, stirring between each, until it is melted. Do not overheat.
To assemble:
- Spread a heaping tsp of filling onto half the cookies and top with other other half. Place into freezer for 30 minutes. Dip the cookies by hand into the melted chocolate. Reheat chocolate as needed to keep a good consistency for dipping. Place on parchment lined baking sheets to fully set up. Chill in the fridge if needed to set the chocolate.