Several weeks ago, I received an email from Tanya of Mr. Youth ^[1], a dynamic advertising and marketing firm based in NYC, which has been promoting the U.S. release ^[2] of Tim Tam ^[3] cookies. Tanya wanted to know if I would be interested in sampling some Tim Tams and graciously offered to send me a package. Hmm, let’s see. Chocolate wafer cookies filled with velvety chocolate cream and drenched in milk chocolate…..

HELL YEAH, I WANTED TO TRY THEM!!!

So, of course, I just-as-graciously accepted.

When I returned from my cruise, there they were, neatly packaged and waiting in my office. My Tim Tams! Woo hoo!

Though my heart was pounding and my palms were sweating, I forced myself to play it cool. I didn’t want any of my nosy staff to get wise to the fact that on my desk sat a box of the most tantalizing, mouthwatering and delectable cookies on the face of the planet. If they found out, who knows what they might do! They might riot…..or protest…..or…..insist that I share. Ain’t no way THAT was happening!

Tim Tams are the number one chocolate biscuit in Australia. They are produced by the Australian company, Arnott’s ^[4], who have been delighting customers with the cookies for over forty years. In fact, these iconic little chocolate gems are so incredibly popular that over 400 million of them are consumed by Australians each year! Last year, a joint poll ^[5] by The Times in the United Kingdom and news.com.au in Australia ranked Tim Tam as one of the best inventions since sliced bread. Tim Tams came in at number four behind some pretty stiff competition: The World Wide Web, penicillin and the TV remote! Need I say more?

Most Americans have only been able to wistfully dream about this decadent and delicious treat - until now. Pepperidge Farm ^[6] is offering Tim Tam cookies in two varieties: Chocolate Creme and Caramel. They made their U.S. debut in November and will be available through March 2009 at Target ^[7] stores across the country. Both Pepperidge Farm and Arnott’s are subsidiaries of the Campbell Soup Company ^[8].

Anyway, I successfully smuggled my Tim Tams out of my office and into my car. As I tried to race home with them, I was thwarted by lots of traffic and multiple school zones. Unacceptable! I’m not proud of it, but I must confess, I ripped open that package of cookies right there in the car. I’m sorry, but I just couldn’t wait! Stopped at a red light on US 41, I took my first bite and immediately soared up into cookie nirvana. By the time I got home, half of the package was gone.

The next day, I made it my business to get down to Target and buy 10 more boxes. Tim Tams are Aus-some, I tell you! Just plain Aus-some!

For those of you who are a little more disciplined than I am and can actually keep from eating all your Tim Tams in one sitting, here are some fun recipes that I found in my web travels:

Tim Tam Truffles ^[9] from The Journal of a Girl Who Loves to Cook ^[10]

Tim Tam Slam ^[11] from Use Real Butter ^[12]

Bailey’s Tim Tam Cheesecake ^[13] from Quinn’s Baking with Love & Passion ^[14]

Tim Tam Chewy Caramel Explosion ^[15] from Arnott’s ^[4]

As for me, I think they would be fabulous crumbled over over some good, old-fashioned vanilla ice cream!

So, to all of my American friends, get thee to Target and get yourself some Tim Tams while you still can!