Welcome to the first edition of Pairing Notes, where I'll be explaining the different flavor components in your favorite foods (or maybe they're not your favorite, how am I supposed to know?) and recommending some beverage options to highlight those key flavors!
So, we're discussing HoHo's or any chocolate dessert that has a creamy element to it (Suzy Q's, Hostess cupcakes, oreos, chocolate cake with a frosting that isn't also chocolate, oreo poptarts, you get the idea). Pictured here is a homemade hoho bar, chocolate cake with marshmallow buttercream and a dark chocolate ganache, a Costo clan favorite!
Some key flavor notes - cocoa, smoke, vanilla, a balanced richness, velvet
Look for beverages with notes of - black pepper, dark berries (blackberry, prune, cranberry), coffee, beets, charcoal, tobacco, almond, leather
To elaborate, these flavors are hinted at in cocoa, depending on the variety of the chocolate some are more prominent but they're all complimentary and not easily overpowered. I like pairing a chocolate dessert with another element, cue the marshmallow buttercream, because there's more dimension to it. It doesn't fall flat as easily as chocolate on chocolate desserts can. All of these notes are in opposition with the creamy & sweet vanilla frosting which amplifies both the buttercream and the flavor in your beverage.
Avoid - caramel, anything floral, chocolate, vanilla
You want to avoid chocolate because it's just going to be redundant, the dessert & the drink will wash each other out and all the flavors will essentially be dulled. While the caramel, floral, and vanilla may seem like they would juxtapose nicely (and in certain beverages they might, there are no hard & fast rules), they're also easily overshadowed. Cocoa is an intense and dark flavor, if you drink something sweet and floral you won't be able to taste much of it and the combo will just seem off; like a whisper of a flavor.
Wine - Sauvignon Blanc, Riesling, most reds as long as they aren't overly dry or sweet, Merlots and Cabernet Sauvignon are two of my personal favs
Beer - coffee stouts and porters are an obvious one, milk stouts, and any barrel aged porters
Spirits - single malt scotches that have a dominant smoke flavor versus caramel