Fury as popular Arnott’s biscuit discontinued

Australians are flooding social media with complaints after an iconic product disappeared from supermarket shelves.

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”.

The iconic Honey Jumbles have been discontinued. Picture: Supplied

“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.

Why dont honey jumbles exist anymore ? pic.twitter.com/KNiesVUPjX

— Ms Anne Thrope (@TinyButMighty17) November 17, 2022

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 product was axed back in July 2021, but shoppers have only just noticed it is missing from shelves. Picture: Supplied

The Classic Assorted variety pack was also recently discontinued. Picture: Supplied

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

Make your own Honey Jumbles at home with Arnott’s recipe. Picture: Supplied

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.