HoneyCrunch, a blondie brittle with a hint of lavender, took home top honors at the American Society of Baking’s (ASB) annual Product Development Competition, sponsored by the National Honey Board. University of Massachusetts Amherst students Madeline Murphy and Nicholle Kirsten Tan developed the product and presented it to a packed house of baking industry professionals at the ASB’s BakingTECH 2025 in Orlando. 

HoneyCrunch is an innovative, thin and crispy brittle that has honey as the main ingredient, accounting for almost 39% of the formula. The duo of food scientists from UMass were able to create a brittle product primarily composed of honey by deftly formulating with a combination of egg whites, gluten-free flour and oat flour. 

“This was one of the most innovative products we’ve seen at any product development competition we’ve sponsored,” Catherine Barry, vice president of marketing for the National Honey Board, said. “Madeline and Nicholle nailed the innovation part of this competition, as well as the presentation. Everyone at BakingTECH came away impressed with HoneyCrunch and the team’s explanation of the technical and marketing aspects of the product.”

Two other teams were recognized for their exceptional products:

- Second Place: Cornell University’s prOATS!, a protein-rich, gluten-free oat cookie formulated with caffeine and an innovative honey coating.

- Third Place: Oregon State University's Garden Box Cookies, a pollinator-themed cookie with an innovative honey caramel drizzle.

The ASB’s Product Development Competition is designed to help food science students gain exposure and showcase their innovative products to industry experts. This year’s competition challenged teams to develop an innovative grab-n-go product featuring honey as the primary sweetener.