Homemade Tim Tams
Tim Tams came into my life rather late. I was 21, had just received my first (very meager) salary and was standing in the supermarket aisle with an intense desire to splurge. I’d seen these cookies before but had always been outraged by the ridiculous price tag. Where they made of gold to be deserving of 50 Randelas?! On this particular day though, it was this exact ridiculous price tag that lured me in – after all, my bank account was full! I went home and ate the entire packet in one sitting. Since then, Tim Tams have become my treat. I share them with no one. I eat them in secret. If you’re a hardcore Tim Tam fan like me, though, you’ll have noticed that there are times when this Australian treat is impossible to find in South Africa. It’s like the ozzies hog them. How rude. Don’t worry though, because during Tim Tam shortages, you can now make your own. Yes, I cracked the recipe and they are so good you may never buy a packet again!
Ingredients
- 150g butter
- 150g soft light brown sugar
- 3 tbsp (45ml) golden syrup
- 330g cake flour
- 60g The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder
- pinch of salt
- 1 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 3-4 tsp milk
- 115g butter softened
- 125g icing sugar, sifted
- 1 tbsp The Kate Tin Cocoa Powder
- 2 tbsp milk powder, lightly toasted (or Horlicks or Milo)
- 200g good-quality milk chocolate, melted (I use AFRIKOA milk chocolate)
- 1 tbsp odourless coconut oil
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 180 degrees Celscius.
- Line a baking sheet with baking paper and set aside.
- For the biscuits, cream together the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy – about 8 minutes.
- Beat in the golden syrup.
- Sift the flour, cocoa, salt and bicarbonate of soda into the creamed mixture.
- Add the milk a bit at a time, until you get a soft even dough. It should be a bit crumbly, but just come together.
- Tip out onto a lightly floured surface and knead for about a minute, until it comes together.
- Roll out with a lightly floured rolling pin about 1/2cm thick.
- Cut out into rectangles 8cm x 4cm and then carefully lift onto the prepared baking sheet with a metal spatula, leaving some space in between the biscuits.
- Bake for 8 to 10 minutes, then remove from the oven.
- Carefully lift onto a wire rack to cool completely.
- To make the filling, cream the butter together with the icing sugar, cocoa powder and toasted milk powder.
- Add a little milk to bring the frosting together.
- Spread a heaped teaspoon onto each of half the baked biscuits and then top with another one, pressing down lightly.
- Repeat until all the biscuits are filled.
- Stir the coconut oil into the melted milk chocolate.
- Dip the bottom of each biscuit and allow to set on a sheet of baking paper. Place the set biscuits on a cooling rack with a baking sheet underneath then pour the chocolate over the biscuits to coat completely.
- Allow to set then store in an airtight container.
Want more chocolate? Of course you do:
