Guilt-Free Dessert? Desserts Shrink in Size to Mini Versions With Fewer Calories

June 16, 2011— -- Mini desserts are the latest trend to hit the food market. The bite-sized versions of favorite sweets offer you all the taste without all the calories and guilt, especially if you aren't looking for a huge snack that will leave you sluggish.

"Our research shows that customers are looking for that little something in the afternoon," Annie Young-Scrivner, global chief marketing officer for Seattle-based Starbucks, told the Associated Press in a recent article on mini desserts.

"They don't want it to be very big. They just want a couple of bites of something to complement their tea or espresso or other beverage."

So, "Good Morning America" took a bite out of the most popular ones and here's the roundup.

Starbuck's Cake Pop

Starbucks recently launched its "Petites" line offering little snacks that will sweeten your afternoon calories. The treats are less that 200 calories and cost $1.50. Cake pops come in flavors such as tiramisu and rocky road, but if that's not your thing, there are also mini cupcakes and lemon squares.

The Mini-Blizzard

The Blizzard is practically an American classic, but the 16-ounce size can have up to 470 calories. Now, Dairy Queen has offered an alternative for soft-serve lovers, the mini. The 6-ounce mini cup has about 200 calories.

Crumbs' Taste Cupcake

The popular chain Crumbs has cupcakes in three sizes: their smallest, taste, which is about 100 calories, the classic size, which ranges from 220 to 440 calories, and finally the largest, or signature, which ranges from 400 to 660 calories.

PF Chang's Great Wall of Chocolate and New York Style Cheesecake Desserts

PF Chang's knows how to do chocolate desserts, and its Great Wall of Chocolate is one of the most popular. The normal dessert is meant to be divided among four people and has an average of 360 calories per person. But the mini is just 160 calories.

Now for the New York style cheesecake. PF Chang's has nailed the rich and decadent classic. The normal cake, which is meant for two people, averages 450 calories per person. If you opt for the mini, however, it's only 210 calories.