I usually seek sweet solace from sour news in the sugary comforts of my cookie jar, but things are sooo low of late—what with banks bankrupting, hurricanes hurricaning, and polls polling—that I need to reach a little farther than my trusty jar for my sugar high. I need to escape it all, and the best way to do that is through (or rather, chew) exotic foreign confections.
One of my favorite activities—okay, my very first activity—upon arriving in a new destination is to check out the cookie aisle of a local supermarket. I cage locals to see what they choose, then race back to my hotel—bikkies under my arm—for a quintessentially local, melt-in-my-mouth, dunk-in-my-tea travel experience.
Yes, some people travel for culture; I travel for cookies. You can tell so much about a destination by its cookies, like if it’s dense or wafer thin, chocolate-covered or jelly-filled, satisfies with one bite or one pack is never enough. My aggravated head and itchy feet would love to escape to a faraway bakery right now, but I can’t afford to pay through the nose to indulge my sweet tooth. Luckily, I’ve found some excellent sources for my favorite international cookies, so I can feed my cookie habit—along with my appetite for travel—right here at my own table.
Australian Tim Tams
I didn’t have much of a taste for bush tucker, vegemite on toast, or meat pies and chips (with chicken salt) on a recent visit Down Under, but I did develop quite an addiction to Arnott’s Tim Tams—a cookie with two layers of chocolate, malted biscuit separated by a light chocolate cream filling, and coated in a thin layer of textured chocolate. (Also available in varieties like Chewy Caramel, Mocha, and Choc Orange.)
According to Arnott’s, about 400 million Tim Tams are consumed in Australia every year, which is no surprise considering they’re routinely served up at morning, afternoon, and evening tea. I heart Australia and Australians for this.
Sweet note: Local’s don’t dunk Tim Tams, they slam them. Simply bite off the opposing corners of your Tim Tam and use it as a straw to suck up a hot drink. The inside of the cookie collapses into chocolate-gooey goodness while the outside holds its shape just long enough for you to shove it into your mouth.
Get yours at About-Australia-Shop.com
British Biscuits
I grew up in Ireland, so I’m very familiar with the rituals surrounding tea; perhaps the most important (and my favorite) being that you never serve tea without a little something sweet. Plainer biscuits are served with cuppas earlier in the day and sweeter “special” biscuits are reserved for evening tea or special occasions. (Like, “Hey, it’s Wednesday, break out the good biscuits!”) Our biscuits were always of the British variety because we were too busy knocking the British to make our own, and besides, let’s face it, the Brits know how to do a good teatime accompaniment. I can never leave Britain, or a British store, with just one pack of biscuits, but if I had to single out one brand it would be McVities. Their Hob Nobs and chocolate-covered Digestives are reason enough to go on in these dark times. Jacobs, Walkers, Crawford’s, and Cadbury’s are all solid brand choices too.
Sweet note: Though British afternoon tea is often represented as a refined and proper activity, you will not find many Brits cocking their pinkies and sipping from delicate floral teacups come teatime. A more authentic afternoon tea experience involves grabbing a good size mug of hot tea in one hand (with all five fingers) and dunking a plain “digestive” biscuit (to allow it to soak up a little tea) with the other.
Get yours at EnglishTeaStore.com
Dutch Stroopwafel
Originally a syrup-filled waffle cookie that got its start in Gouda in the Netherlands, the stroopwafel (stroopwaffle/stroopwaffel) is now—thankfully—replicated in many places in Europe and the U.S. Still, as is usually the case, the originals are best, so I try to get mine straight from the Dutch horse’s mouth, and as often as possible. What makes it so wonderful? Well, it’s two thin, hard, waffley biscuits made with roombutter (cream butter) which is wonderful in itself, but then it’s wedged together with a caramel-like syrup. It’s sweet, but not too sweet.
Sweet note: Look like a local and lay your stroopwafel on top of a steaming cup of tea or coffee for a few minutes to melt the inside filling.
Get yours at Shopping.DutchVillage.com or TypicalDutchStuff.com
