The Maple Creemee Is Vemont’s Summer Specialty

Vermont may conjure images of fall and apple orchards, covered bridges and small town charm, or glittery winters and frosted ski trails. But in the summer, world-famous ice cream and rich maple syrup come together in the maple creemee (yes, spelled just like that). 

Nothing short of perfection, Vermont’s signature frozen treat is a genius combination of the state’s two most famed products: high-quality milk and high-quality maple syrup. This frozen treat is almost too much goodness to be swirled onto one cone. Vermonters, like myself, are fiercely proud of the maple creemee, as we should be. It’s an ode to Vermont’s heritage, the time-honored craft of maple sugaring, and farming. 

A maple creemee is surprisingly very simple to make — it’s the ingredients that stand out. Makers use the richest cream from Vermont cows, mix in locally tapped liquid gold from the maple trees that cover the state’s hills, and finish with pinches of sugar, vanilla, and salt. This is poured into soft serve makers, and sweetness spirals out. 

The creemee does indeed live up to its name — it is made with a lower milkfat content than typical soft serve and is kept at a warmer temperature as it’s meant to be soft and velvety. Toppings can be added, and many local creemee hotspots offer options, but to me, it’s not necessary. The pure, maple-sweetened soft serve is enough, just as it is. 

Vermont lore has it that the creemee was created to wow fairgoers at the Rutland State Fair back in the early 1900s. Some think the name was influenced by Vermont’s northern neighbors, the Québécois, who call ice cream crème glace. All I know for sure is that the first time that I had this unassuming beige cone at the Tunbridge State Fair, my world was forever changed.

You can find a maple creemee at roadside stops, general stores, farmstands, and sugarhouses — every Vermonter has their own personal favorite. And each creemee is just a little bit different, depending on where the ingredients were sourced and the grade, quality, and quantity of the maple syrup. 

Now as an adult, the creemee is more than a treat. It tastes of memories of home, of childhood, and of Vermont. Each lick takes me back to sunny days, cows on the pasture, falling leaves, wood-burning fireplaces, spring’s frosts, and fresh snowfall. Maybe because you can only try a true maple creemee in Vermont, the real secret ingredient to the velvety cone is the special place where it is enjoyed.