Impossibly Irresistible Tim Tams Quiz

Answer: Arnott's

Arnott's originally opened as a small bakery in Newcastle, New South Wales, in 1865. Today, they supply biscuits to over 40 countries in the world. Australians of all ages grew up eating Arnott's biscuits, from Milk Arrowroot and Nice to the Tim Tam and Mint Slice, there's an Arnott's biscuit for every occasion.

Answer: Chocolate coated, double biscuit with chocolate cream

The classic Tim Tam is a biscuit of chocolate cream sandwiched between two malt biscuits and covered with delicious chocolate. Mmmm.

In 1958, Arnott's employee, Ian Norris, returned from a trip to England, impressed with a biscuit called Penguin that he'd had eaten there. Over the next few years, he experimented with different biscuits, fillings and coatings, until he created the perfect the recipe for the Arnott's Tim Tam.

Answer: 1960s

After beginning work on the Tim Tam, it took several years to get the mixture of tastes and textures just right. The biscuits were introduced to the Australian public around 1963/1964.

Answer: A winning horse

Reportedly, the owner of Arnott's, Ross Arnott took the name from the 1958 Kentucky Derby winner as the name for the new biscuit. And so the Tim Tam was born. Oh, happy day!

Answer: National Breast Cancer Foundation

The Pink Wish range of Tim Tams was first released in 2006 to coincide with Breast Cancer Month in October. Ten cents from each packet of the strawberry cream and fudge filled biscuit sold went to the charity. In its first year, the humble biscuit raised $160,000 for breast cancer research.
So who needs an excuse to buy Tim Tams?

Answer: Jaffa Jubilee

The Sweet Surrender range of Tim Tams released early in 2009 were not a popular choice in the supermarkets, until they went on sale. This range was heavily sugar-laden with a thick chewy centre. While very rich and sweet, I thought they weren't too bad, so long as you limited yourself to one. But therein lies the problem.

Answer: Tia Maria

In 2004 a range of liqueur flavoured Tim Tams, including Tia Maria and Kahlua, caused a ruckus across the country. Some groups claimed that having the biscuits available on supermarket shelves allowed children access to alcohol. However, said children would probably succumb to sugar overdose long before they got any effects from the alcohol.

Answer: Dangerous Liaisons

The dangerous Liaisons collection was released briefly around 2005, featuring a more "adult" flavour than the original Tim Tam.
The Choc Chilli was a dark chocolate Tim Tam with a hint of chilli in the chocolate. The Creamy Truffle featured a stripe of gooey white chocolate inside the dark chocolate cream centre while the Black Forest had cherry flavouring in the cream. As a one-off purchase when they were on sale, I thought they were quite nice. Not as sweet as the Sweet Surrender range, and with a more adult flavour to them. But I didn't go back for a second pack.

Answer: They only had one biscuit layer

The crush varieties only had a single biscuit layer compared with the usual double layer. The flavours were Double Choc Crunch, Honeycomb, Mint Crisp and Cookies and Cream.
While many will disagree with me, I didn't consider the Crush varieties were real Tim Tams, because of the single biscuit layer.
Watch your sugar and calorie intake with them though, they are very sweet!
If anyone from Arnott's is playing this quiz, I'd love to see a marbled chocolate coating! And I'm available for taste testing.

Answer: A decadent way of eating your Tim Tam

Also known as the Tim Tam explosion, the Slam is a delicious, albeit potentially messy way to enjoy your favourite biscuit.

Here's how to Slam:

Take a bite off opposing corners of your Tim Tam then use it as a straw to suck up a drink. Just before the whole thing disintegrates in your fingers and falls into your cup, shove the whole thing your mouth and experience taste heaven!
Any hot or cold drink will work, but I prefer coffee. Cold drinks also seem a little harder to suck up. But beware! Timing is crucial or you will end up with a gooey, soggy mess down your shirt and in your lap. At least I do.

The Crush varieties are not as good for a Slam, because the single biscuit layer doesn't soak up your drink as well as the double layer. The Sweet Surrender varieties have a thicker filling in the centre, which resists absorbing liquid as well. All in all, the original style seems the best for slamming, because you can't improve on perfection. I haven't yet mastered a White Tim Tam Slam; so far I keep getting a cup of white chocolate coffee, half of which ends up on my shirt. And the Double Coat are just asking for trouble!