Biscuit fans are up in arms after a popular product was permanently discontinued without any warning.
Shoppers are flooding Arnott’s social media pages with complaints after noticing packets of Honey Jumbles were no longer on sale.
While the decision to cull the iconic soft-baked gingerbread fingers – which were topped with pink or white icing – happened back July 2021, customers have only recently started to notice the bickies are no longer available.
In response, devastated fans have been flooding social media, branding the decision “horrible” and pleading with Arnott’s to “bring them back”.
“Arnott’s honey jumbles got discontinued and I’m just finding out. This is horrible news,” one devastated fan wrote on Twitter.
“So, Arnott’s, we’re just going to cancel Honey Jumbles without any warning huh?” another wrote alongside a crying face emoji.
“Not fair! There’s only so many Venetia’s you can eat when you can’t get Honey Jumbles,” a third said.
Meanwhile, this tweet really sums up the sentiment felt by disappointed Aussies.
Arnott’s told news.com.au the decision to axe the biscuit came from poor sales.
“We stopped baking our Honey Jumbles in July 2021. At this stage, there are no plans to bring the product back to shelf,” Amy Wagner, Arnott’s director of PR and consumer experience, said.
However, she softened the blow by revealing Arnott’s had released an adapted Honey Jumbles recipe for the “very passionate fans” so they can recreate the “iconic” biscuit at home.
The “shocking” news comes just weeks after Arnott’s announced it had discontinued the Classic Assorted variety pack.
The pack – renowned for “bringing your favourites together” – included six varieties: Shortbread Creams, Kingstons, Monte Carlos, Scotch Fingers, Butternut Snap and Choc Chip. A 500g pack typically retailed for $4.50.
After being given the boot, fans complained about the decision, with many declaring they were “going to fight to get it back”.
Arnott’s Bake-At-Home Honey Jumbles recipe
Prep time: 10 minutes
Cook time: 12 minutes
Makes: 20
Ingredients
75g unsalted butter softened
¼ cup honey
¼ cup treacle syrup
1½ cups plain flour
2 tsp ground ginger
½ tsp bicarbonate soda
1½ tbsp milk
Icing:
1 egg white
1½ cups icing sugar
1 tsp lemon juice
Pink food colouring
Method
Pre-heat oven to 170C. Line 2 baking sheets with baking paper.
In a small saucepan, combine butter, honey and treacle. Stir over moderate heat until melted and smooth. Don’t let boil. Set aside to cool slightly.
Sift dry ingredients into a large bowl, add honey mixture and milk, stir well until combined. Chill for 30 minutes or until firm.
Roll mixture into 30cm logs and cut into 7cm lengths. Place on prepared tray and bake for 12 minutes. Leave on the tray for 5 minutes, then move to a cooling tray.
To make the icing, whisk the egg white in a medium bowl until frothy, sift the icing sugar into egg white and whisk until smooth. When cool, dip half the biscuits front side into the icing and set aside. Add some pink food colouring to the icing and repeat with the remaining biscuits.