Icing-draped cake, creamy pumpkin pie, cookie dough and gooey caramel? Making that many desserts would be a marathon; eating them in a single sitting would be a dietary debacle. But some creative new vodka flavors are flipping the dessert course upside down -- and pouring it into a cocktail glass.

Sweet, confection-inspired flavors such as candy bar, caramel and marshmallow have transformed the cocktail bar into a lower-calorie, mostly nonfat, liquid dessert buffet for adults. (Lower calorie than pie, anyway.)

Tasting these new vodkas straight up is a pretty sweet deal, but the real fun starts when Marshmallow meets Deep Dark Chocolate, or Cookie Dough has a rendezvous with Kissed Caramel. Beyond the glass, these vodkas make

Flavored vodkas have exploded onto bar shelves, and the young and old, women and men, college kids and yuppies, are drinking fruity, chocolate and coffee-flavored varieties. (AP Photo/Phelan M. Ebenhack, FILE)

To find out which of these desserts-in-a-bottle are worth adding to the liquor cabinet, I rounded up as many as I dared and sipped through the lot. Here's the scoop on some of the best. (Prices are for 750-ml. bottles.)

Smirnoff Kissed Caramel: I fell hard for this sweet treat-in-a-glass. It delivers the authentic brown sugar and vanilla flavors of a great caramel, and has an amazing, long buttery finish. $13.99. "Š* * * *

Pinnacle Cookie Dough: Those who love dipping into a vat of chocolate chip cookie dough should take a swig of this. It's dead on, with distinct aromas of chocolate chip and vanilla. It's smooth on the tongue and has a long, sweet finish.

Pinnacle Cake: Of the three cake-flavored vodkas I tried, this one packs the most flavor. It has that slightly fruity flavor of yellow cake made from a box, and a good shot of vanilla. $9.99. * * *

Hangar One Maine Wild Blueberry: This artisanal vodka infusion is considerably less sweet than the flavored dessert vodkas. It is as smooth as water and has great blueberry aroma, but minimal flavor on the tongue. $30.99. * * *

Van Gogh Deep Dark Chocolate: It's important to know that Van Gogh vodkas differ from some of the other flavored vodkas, which tend to be sweet as candy. This one has such a deep, dark chocolate flavor, it's almost bitter. $27. * * *

Smirnoff Iced Cake: Think of this as cake-light. The light vanilla aroma and creamy flavors remind me of white wedding cake. I like the clean flavor profile, but it's a bit understated to stand up in a dessert cocktail. $13.99. * * ½

Van Gogh Dutch Caramel: This ultra-sweet vodka has a toasty caramel flavor that quashes the creamy vanilla flavor that I seek in caramel. The vodka is also a little harsh on the tongue. $27. * *

Pinnacle Marshmallow: As much as I wanted to like this, I found my nose -- and taste buds -- searching for more marshmallow punch. $9.99. * *

Van Gogh PB & J: This is a funny vodka because while you really can taste nuts and berries, it just so unexpected that it seems strange. I'm not sure I want a PB& J in my cocktail glass. This one may be an acquired taste. $27. * ½

Pinnacle Pumpkin Pie: This vodka has a nice backdrop of pumpkin pie spices, but lacks any hint of pumpkin. $9.99. *

Samples of some of the products reviewed in this column are provided by manufacturers. Contact Jolene Thym at timespickyeater@gmail.com. Read more Picky Eater at www.thepickyeateronline.com.