The Sherwood Inn is a landmark in the town of Skaneateles, NY, which sits atop the north end of Skaneateles Lake, one of New York State’s Finger Lakes. My family has spent summers at Skaneateles Lake for nearly 100 years, so it’s no surprise to me that my grandmother saved this recipe for The Sherwood Inn’s Cream Cheese Brownies. While I can’t identify the magazine, I can date the recipe’s publication to around 1985 given that they state the Sherwood Inn is 178 years old. (The Sherwood was, according to its website, established in 1807. My calculator tells me that 1807 + 1788 = 1985. I’m doing some very fancy detective work over here.)
According to our yet-to-be-identified magazine, the dessert was a hit back in the 1980s. With summer heading into full swing and many trips to Skaneateles on the horizon for me, it seemed like the right moment to go back in time and try out these Cream Cheese Brownies of yesteryear, which looked like they might be the perfect treat to bring to summer picnics, BBQs, and family gatherings.
I whipped them up one recent weekend afternoon to bring to a casual dinner with friends. They were a nice ending to our meal, sweet with a bit of tanginess from the cream cheese and a little crunch from the pecans and firmly on the fudgy side of the brownie divide. If I have one criticism, it’s that they didn’t look all that pretty. I think that might have been due to lack of volume, so next time I might try them in a pan smaller than 13×9. But all in all, these are some solid brownies.
Let us know your thoughts in the comments! And especially let us know if you were an original fan of The Sherwood Inn’s Cream Cheese Brownies and/or recognize the magazine in which this recipe was printed!
Serves: 4-6 Time: 60 min
Ingredients
- 3 oz. unsweetened chocolate
- ⅓ cup sweet butter
- 3 eggs
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 1 tsp. Vanilla
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 cup pecans, coarsely chopped
- 8 oz cream cheese, softened
- ½ cup sugar
- 1 egg
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Lightly grease a 13×9 inch pan.
- In a small pan, melt chocolate and sweet butter; set aside.
- In a large bowl, beat 3 eggs together and slowly add 1 ½ cups sugar, beating until creamy. Add vanilla and chocolate mixture, blending well.
- Stir in flour and pecans; pour into prepared pan.
- Beat together cream cheese, sugar, and egg; spread over brownie mixture.
- Bake 45 minutes. Serve with caramel sauce or ice cream.