Best Maple Creemee in Vermont, and Cheddar

The best maple creemee in Vermont is a cone of soft serve swirled with real maple syrup, handed over a counter at a stand with a short line and a view of a field. Local awards point to stands such as Palmer Lane Maple in Jericho. Here is how to judge a cone and where to look for one.

What is the best maple creemee in Vermont?

It starts with the syrup. A true maple creemee is flavored with pure maple, which gives a deeper, slightly smoky sweetness than a sugary syrup. One local news piece notes that a shop can only call its creemee Vermont maple if the maple was made entirely in the state. The dairy base matters too: a good creamy base lets the maple come through instead of covering it.

Judge a cone on three things. The swirl should be smooth and cold, not melted. The maple should taste like syrup, not candy. And the cone should be sturdy enough to survive a warm afternoon.

Which Vermont creemee stands are worth the detour?

Palmer Lane Maple, in Jericho, is the most consistent pick. A local alt-weekly named it best creemee, sharing the award with Vermont Cookie Love in North Ferrisburgh, and it has won again since. The shop is known for pure maple soft serve and housemade maple sprinkles. Vermont Cookie Love has a North Ferrisburgh stand, and the base can matter as much as the maple.

Other names from reader comments include Bragg Farm in East Montpelier and Green Mountain Sugarhouse in Ludlow. Treat these as anecdotes and check recent reviews.

Where can you get a Burlington creemee?

A Burlington creemee is easy to find, from the waterfront to a fry shop in South Burlington.

A good plan in the city is to walk along the waterfront, eat a cone and then try a second stand later for comparison. A small size is enough.

What about Vermont maple soft serve beyond the cone?

Vermont maple soft serve shows up in sundaes, in shakes and swirled with coffee or cookie flavors. One stand serves a maple-coffee twist. Others dip the cone in a maple coating. These are fun, but if you are trying to judge a stand, order a plain maple in a plain cone so that nothing hides the flavor.

A creemee is a summer food, but Vermonters eat them in spring and fall too. Some stands close in the cold months, so check the season before you drive.

Where does Vermont cheddar fit in?

Vermont is known for cheddar, and a drive through the state often includes a cheese stop. A sharp white cheddar, aged for a year or more, is the classic. Farm stores and creameries sell it by the wedge, and tasting a few ages side by side teaches you how the flavor changes from mild to crumbly and sharp.

Ask at a farm stand which cheddar they recommend, and buy a small piece to taste before you buy a block.

How do farm stands and maple fit together?

Vermont maple syrup is graded by color and taste, from a light golden grade with a delicate flavor to a dark grade with a robust one. Farm stands and sugarhouses sell it by the jar, and some pour a taste. If you are buying a gift, pick a small bottle of each so the recipient can compare.

Many stands sell maple candy, maple cream and doughnuts. A sugarhouse visit in spring includes a tour of the evaporator and a taste of syrup, and the season is short.

How to order a creemee

Say the flavor and the size: "a small maple in a cone." Ask whether the maple is pure Vermont maple if you care. Eat it right away, because a creemee melts quickly. Bring napkins, and expect to stand outside, since most stands have picnic tables rather than an indoor room.

Check the current hours before you drive. Stands are seasonal, and their days vary.

Plan the drive as well as the stop. Vermont's back roads are slow, and a stand that looks close on a map may take thirty minutes to reach. Bring a cooler with ice if you intend to buy cheese, because a warm car can ruin a good wedge in an hour. Keep small bills and coins for farm stands, many of which run on an honor box, and carry a sturdy bag for jars of syrup. A thermos of coffee helps on the early leg.

What else should you read around Vermont?

The Vermont farm stands, sugar shacks and cheese guide goes further into maple country, the Maine food worth a drive page continues the road trip and the New England regional foods guide places maple among its neighbors. The US guides page lists more cities.

How can Mosey help you find a favorite creemee?

Rate five different places of the same kind and the Mosey app starts handing out badges, so a summer of creemee stands leaves a visible trail of what you have tried.

A cone disappears in ten minutes, and the memory fades faster than the cold. Get the Mosey app, rate each creemee you eat for maple, base and swirl, and build a Vermont list that tells your friends which stand was worth the detour.