I’m on Bon Appetit’s email list, and a while ago they emailed a recipe for Soy Sauce Brownies. The woman writing the recipe touted that she would never make brownies any other way again, that it was a game changer. So, naturally, I was intrigued. And I felt that it was my duty as a baker to give it a try and see for myself.
I took the best brownies ever (The Baked Brownie), and swapped out the salt for soy sauce. I figured, you have to start with the greatest brownies ever to see if the soy sauce can improve upon them. Soy sauce may be able to make mediocre brownies better, but can they make the best brownies better? The jury is still our on whether, the soy sauce made them definitively better. But, I could definitely tell that the soy sauce added some depth to the flavor and salti-ness. It was slightly nutty almost.
I also recently watched Paul Blart Mall Cop for the first time and it was actually… very entertaining. But my favorite line in the movie was this one, and it felt relevant to share here:
Making frosting with chunky peanut butter definitely fulfils this quote. And combined with the salty depth of the brownie?? Top notch stuff. The stuff of peanut butter chocolate dreams.
But, in the end, I don’t know if I’ll be rushing to swap out my salt for soy sauce in future chocolate baking projects. It wasn’t exactly as life-changing as the Bon Appetit article painted it out to be. But it was a fun experiment, and they were certainly tasty! It would just be a bit try-hardy to always make them. 
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PinIngredients
- 1/2 cup + 2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
- 2 teaspoons soy sauce
- 1 tablespoon unsweetened cocoa powder, natural or Dutch-process will work
- 5.5 ounces dark chocolate, coarsely chopped
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) unsalted butter, cut into 1-inch pieces
- 1 teaspoon instant espresso powder, optional
- 3/4 cups granulated sugar
- 1/4 cup packed light brown sugar
- 2 eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
For Crunchy Peanut Butter Frosting
- 1/2 cup (1 stick) butter
- 1/2 cup peanut butter (crunchy, if you, like me, are a fan)
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 2–3 cups powdered sugar
Instructions
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Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Butter the sides and bottom of a 8×8-inch glass or light-colored baking pan. Line the pan with parchment paper.
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In a medium bowl, whisk the flour, and cocoa powder together.
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Put the chocolate, butter and instant espresso powder in a large heat-proof bowl and set it over a saucepan of simmering water, stirring occasionally, until the chocolate and butter are completely melted and smooth. Stir in the soy sauce. Turn off the heat, but keep the bowl over the water and add the sugars. Whisk until completely combined, then remove the bowl from the pan. The mixture should be room temperature.
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Add 1 eggs to the chocolate mixture and whisk until combined. Add the remaining egg and whisk until combined. Add the vanilla and stir until combined. Do not overbeat the batter at this stage or your brownies will be cakey.
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Sprinkle the flour mixture over the chocolate mixture. Using a rubber spatula (not a whisk), fold the flour mixture into the chocolate until just a bit of the flour mixture is visible.
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Pour the batter into the prepared pan and smooth the top. Bake, rotating the pan halfway through baking, until a toothpick inserted into the center of the brownies comes out with a few moist crumbs sticking to it, about 30 minutes. Let the brownies cool completely in the pan, then lift them out of the pan using the parchment paper.
- Prepare the peanut butter frosting: beat together butter and peanut butter until completely combined and light and fluffy. Add in the salt and 2 cups powdered sugar and keep beating. Add more powdered sugar as needed to reach your desired frosting consistency. Add mroe salt to taste, if needed.
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When brownies are completely cool, frost with the peanut butter frosting. Cut into squares and serve. Store at room temperature in an airtight container or wrap with plastic wrap for up to 3 days. Or, store in the fridge for a week.