Homemade Tim Tams (Vegan) (2024)

Published: Jan 12, 2020 · Modified: Jan 19, 2022 by Sally · 14 Comments

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This homemade version of the classic Australian Tim Tam is completely dairy-free and vegan. With a creamy chocolate malt filling sandwiched between two chocolate biscuits and coated in MORE chocolate, this is the perfect treat for all the chocolate lovers, just in time for Australia Day.

It has taken a while since I became dairy-free to discover what food products are secretly vegan. Many biscuits are with the obvious being oreos, and lesser known being many of the Arnotts favourites ranges. And while some popular brands have also entered the vegan market like Magnum, still the one thing that I am constantly upset about there being no vegan alternative is the Tim Tam.

I miss Tim Tams.

These classic Australian biscuits are eaten by everyone and known around the world alongside Vegemite as a must try when visiting. They are iconic.

And for good reason too. A Tim Tam is essentially a triple chocolate biscuit. There are 2 light, crunchy chocolate biscuits sandwiched together by a creamy chocolate malt filling, and then the whole thing is coated in more chocolate.

They are rich, decadent and exactly what you want to serve for afternoon tea.

So I decided that I didn’t want to miss out anymore and set about in my kitchen to recreate my own vegan version.

How to make vegan Tim Tams

This just might be one of the longest recipes that I have on my site, but don’t let that intimidate you. There are three main parts and some chilling time involved, so you can make them over two days or make it a fun Sunday project.

First you want to make the cookie dough. This is a super simple dough which involves all the ingredients getting dumped in the bowl of a stand mixer and getting mixed together until a soft dough forms. If you don’t have a stand mixer, you can also use a hand held one.

Once the dough is made, it is really important to roll it out evenly into a rectangular shape and then chill it before baking. If you don’t chill the dough first then the cookies will spread in the oven and loose their shape. It is the same as when making sugar cookies.

Cut up your cold dough evenly into rectangles and bake until just cooked – about 8 minutes. Set these aside to cool.

Making the malt filling is quite similar. Wash out your stand mixer and again dump in all of your ingredients and mix it up. This filing is key to making it a Tim Tam rather than just another chocolate biscuit.

The secret is the malted barley. I bought a can of malted barley which is a sticky, syrup similar to treacle but with that classic malted taste. When mixed with the sugar and chocolate you’ll notice your creamy filling tastes just like Maltesers.

Tips for making vegan Tim Tams

Use good quality vegan chocolate. You want one that has a creamy texture, and is also not too bitter. I use a 60-70% quality dark chocolate, but you can use any that you like. If you are strictly vegan though, make sure what you are using is too.
If you’re like me and live in a very hot climate, then these will need to be stored in the fridge otherwise the coating will just melt.
Use a fork to dunk the biscuits into the melted chocolate and scrape off any excess on the sides of the bowl.
Using a stand mixer will make this process much quicker and easier, but if you don’t have one you can use a handheld mixer as well.
Use a ruler to make sure your biscuits have straight, even sides as this will make sure they match up when getting sandwiched together.
Use your ruler to gently tidy up the sides of your biscuits immediately when they come out of the oven while they are still soft by pushing any sides that have been misshapen, back to straight.

Tim Tams are a classic Australian dessert, and with the Australia Day long weekend fast approaching, these would make the perfect celebratory treat.

If you have a friend or family member that is vegan or dairy-free (and also happens to love chocolate) then I guarantee they have been missing out on Tim Tams and a couple of these homemade ones will just make their day.

Just take the recipe step by step and I know you will find these much easier than you expected!

If you do make this recipe, please be sure to leave a comment and rating below! And tag any of your creations onInstagramwith #eightforestlane as I would love to see.

Vegan Tim Tams

This homemade version of the classic Australian Tim Tam is completely dairy-free and vegan. A creamy chocolate malt filling sandwiched between two chocolate biscuits and coated in MORE chocolate.

4.91 from 10 votes

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Course: Dessert

Ingredients

For the chocolate biscuits:

½ cup dairy-free butter
½ cup sugar
1 tablespoon oil canola or vegetable
½ cup cocoa powder
1 cup plain flour
½ teaspoon baking powder
pinch of salt

For the malt filling:

¼ cup (60 grams) dairy-free butter
1 cup powdered sugar
1 tablespoon cocoa powder
1 tablespoon malted barley

For the coating:

200 grams dark chocolate
1 tablespoon coconut oil

Instructions

Start by making the chocolate biscuits. In the bowl of a stand mixer with the paddle attachment fitted beat dairy-free butter and sugar together until creamy. Add in oil and beat for a few more minutes until the mixture starts to get pale. Add dry ingredients and continue to beat on low until a soft dough forms.
Remove dough from the bowl and place on a sheet of baking paper. Place a second sheet on top and use a rolling pin to roll out the dough until you have a rectangle shape roughly 5mm in height. Use a ruler or spatula to shape the edges of the dough in order to get a rectangular shape. Place the rolled out dough in the fridge for at least 2 hours, or the freezer for 30 mins to chill.
Preheat the oven to 180°C and line a large baking tray with baking paper.
Remove the dough from the freezer and using your ruler, cut the dough into small rectangles 2.5cm by 6 cm. If the dough starts to get too soft as you’re working with it, place it back in the fridge or freezer to firm up as this will prevent the biscuits spreading in the oven. You should end up with 24 rectangles. Place on the prepared baking tray and bake for 8-10 minutes until just firm. Let cool on the tray for 10 minutes as they continue to firm up, before transferring them to a wire rack to cool completely.
Make the malt filling. Place all of the filling ingredients into a large bowl and beat with an electric mixer or a stand mixer with a paddle attachment fitted. Mix everything together until it is creamy.
Place the filling into a piping bag and snip off the end. Pipe the mixture onto the bottom side of a biscuit, before using another to sandwich it together. You want to be able to see about ½cm of filling in each biscuit. Continue with all and then place the filled biscuits back into the freezer for another 30 minutes.
In a medium size microwave safe bowl, add the chocolate and coconut oil and melt together in 30 second burst in the microwave, stirring with a metal spoon between each time. Once there are only a few lumps left, just continue mixing with the spoon until it becomes silky smooth.
Using a fork, dunk the cold biscuits into the chocolate mixture, turning to ensure each biscuit is completely coated. Drain any excess before placing it onto another baking tray lined with baking paper. Repeat with all biscuits. Place the chocolate coated biscuits in the fridge until set.
Store the Tim Tams in an airtight container in the fridge to prevent melting for up to 7 days.

Notes

You can use any vegan chocolate for the coating, I use 70% dark.

The malted filling is what makes it a Tim Tam and I found malted barley at the supermarket in the isle with honey and jams. If you can’t find it, you can leave it out and these will still taste like delicious triple chocolate biscuits.

I use Nuttelex to replace butter in most of my recipes as it is vegan and gives a 'buttery' flavour without being greasy. As this is an Australian product, the closest US alternative I believe is Earth Balance. Otherwise any dairy-free spread will work.

Nutrition

Nutritional information is provided as a guide only and is calculated using automated online tools, therefore we cannot guarantee the accuracy. We encourage you to make your own calculations based on the actual ingredients used in your recipe.

Have you made this recipe?Leave a comment and a rating below and tag your creations with #eightforestlane on Instagram!

Not fom Australia? Check out my US Conversion Guide

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