Who invented the Tim Tam Slam?

Nov 12, 2025

Two bites, one slurp and a molten chocolate implosion that’ll change your life.

Aussie stars abroad have been sharing the joys of the Tim Tam Slam, with actresses Sarah Snook and Isla Fisher recently appearing on US talk shows a day apart from each other, both demonstrating the sacred biscuit ritual. Snook was a guest on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon, who was blown away by the whole thing, calling the result “totally soft and yummy”.

@fallontonight Sarah Snook teaches Jimmy how to do a @Tim Tam Slam! #FallonTonight #TonightShow #SarahSnook #TimTams #JimmyFallon ♬ original sound – FallonTonight

Fisher appeared on The Kelly Clarkson Show, with Clarkson seeming a little bewildered by it all. At least no one tried to get her to eat Vegemite or cuddle a huntsman spider.

@kellyclarksonshow #IslaFisher teaches Kelly the AUSSIE way to eat Tim Tams! 🤣 #KellyClarkson #TimTams #Australia ♬ original sound – Kelly Clarkson Show

Whoever it was that first came up with the idea of the Tim Tam Slam, their name (or names) have now been lost forever in the mists of time. But apparently, the Tim Tam Slam first started becoming popular with Melbourne university students in the 1980s. In 2002, Arnott’s eventually picked up on it, and decided to market it for all it was worth. Unfortunately, they didn’t quite get the name right, calling it the ‘Tim Tam Suck’. Luckily, no one remembers that. In fact, we all tried to forget it as quickly as possible.

Tim Tam Original — The original, and still the best.

How to do the Tim Tam Slam

According to Arnott’s there is an ‘official’ method to the Tim Tam Slam: you bite the opposite corners of your Tim Tam, dip one end into your drink of choice, and sip through the other corner like a straw. Once the warm liquid starts to melt the inside of the biscuit, you ‘slam’ that baby into your mouth and enjoy the soft, gooey, chocolatey goodness.

However, Arnott’s research shows that only 30 percent of Australians follow this method. Meanwhile, 19 percent of us bite off the entire top and bottom of the Tim Tam before sipping. No word on what the other 51 percent are doing. We’ll leave that up to your imagination.

As for the favourite bevvie for a Tim Tam Slam, hot chocolate (32%) and hot coffee (31%) are the most popular, followed by hot tea (18%). A further 13 percent are obviously missing the whole point and opt for cold milk. And when it comes to which Tim Tam flavour? Tim Tam Original is (obviously) the most popular choice, with 40 percent of Aussies saying it’s their go-to. This is followed by Double Coat (20%), Chewy Caramel (12%) and Dark (11%).

Now go forth and slam, Tammers. Make Australia proud.