About five years ago, before there was a Little Miss ATVS and while Mrs. ATVS was still Future Mrs. ATVS, we did some traveling to Australia. We encountered many wonderful things in Australia, such as semi-tame wild kangaroos, reef life, koalas, wallabies, the wonderful Australian people, etc. But probably the most important thing that all of Australia had to offer was a little cookie called a Tim Tam.
They are easily the greatest cookie I have ever encountered. And I know cookies. I have a sweet tooth and will graze all day on sweets and candies if allowed. Tim Tams, with their little chocolate creme center surrounded by sweet hard cookie and then surrounded again by a coating of chocolate glaze, are phenomenal.
I was also introduced to the Tim Tam Bomb. You bit both ends of a Tim Tam off and then use the Tim Tam as a sort of straw, sucking either coffee, hot chocolate, or hot tea through the chocolate creme center. Yum!
Alas, for some reason, Tim Tams were never sold in the United States. I can think of no good reason for it. Everyone in my traveling group thought they were the greatest thing they had ever eaten. I have heard others talk about the wonders of the Tim Tam.
Finally, last night, Mrs. ATVS learned that Pepperidge Farm is test marketing Tim Tams in the United States. We found them this morning at our local Target. Pepperidge Farm is not their original producer. An Australian brand called Arnott's sells them in Australia, and the package looks like this:
According to the website About Australia, Aussies purchase an average of two packets of Tim Tams per person per year. Personally, I think that sounds a little low, but that includes diabetics and non-sweet tooths within its total. They also describe the taste like this:
Tim Tams were developed so that the chocolate has a slight hint of caramel in it. Where as the cream in the center is more a vanilla, butter and chocolate flavor. Whatever the combination, it works well and tastes great.
That sounds about right.
Whatever they taste like, however, now that there is a real chance they will be readily available in the United States, we must seize this opportunity. If everyone reading this entry buys one pack of Tim Tams, I think the test marketing will be successful and Tim Tams will be available to us. But not just for us. Please think of our children. I cannot live in a society that forces my child and my child's future children to travel thousands of miles to have a delicious cookie.
Do it for her. Do it for all of us.