ERIE, COLO. — The team from the University of Massachusetts Amherst took home the top prize in the American Society of Baking’s annual Product Development Competition with HoneyCrunch, a blondie brittle with a hint of lavender.

Students Madeline Murphy and Nicholle Kirsten Tan developed the thin, crispy brittle that has honey as the main ingredient and presented it at BakingTech 2025 in Orlando, Fla. The winner of the contest, which was sponsored by the National Honey Board, also included 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,” said Catherine Barry, vice president of marketing for the National Honey Board. “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.”

The competition is designed to help food science students showcase their innovative products to industry experts.

Coming in second place was Cornell University’s prOATS!, a gluten-free oat cookie formulated with caffeine and a honey coating. Third place went to Oregon State University’s Garden Box Cookies, a pollinator-themed cookie with a honey caramel drizzle.