Part four in the Vodka Desserts series comes swinging with six brand new boozy vodka dessert recipes for those times when a plain chocolate mousse just won’t cut it. Whether you’re entertaining friends and colleagues, trying to impress your relatives or you simply feel like you’re in desperate need of a drink, but you’re not in the mood for hitting the bar, these easy and delicious desserts will give you the alcoholic kick you want.

Parts one, two and three of the spirited vodka dessert recipes can be found here and there and right over there with a total of 18 other vodka desserts suitable for any season, occasion and level of culinary experience.

Appletini cupcakes

The appletini was inarguably made famous by Alan Harper from Two And A Half Men. Although Uncle Charlie would probably downgrade you for this dessert, these appletini vodka-infused cupcakes are light, sophisticated and add a refreshing touch to any party. The original recipe by Stef at Cupcake Project uses vodka not only in the frosting, but also in the batter – and that’s exactly what makes the cupcakes taste just like the appletini cocktail.

Pro tip: If you want a thicker frosting that you can shape with a piping bag and a tip of your choice, lower the amounts of vodka listed in the recipe for the frosting, use more sugar and dump the rest of the vodka into the batter mix.

Panna cotta with vodka

Adored by many for its light texture and non-time-consuming preparation, the delicateness of this Italian dessert is actually complimented by a touch of vodka rather than ruined by the alcohol’s sharpness. The award winning British chef James Martin has a delicious recipe on his official website that includes a garnish of balsamic wild berries and two secret ingredients – a splash of vodka with some orange zest. The final result is a combination of sweet, savory, citrusy and tart-ish that leaves a memorable residual flavor.

Pro tip: Don’t leave the milk and half cream on the stove unattained. If they curdle, you’ll have to start all over again, and that would be not only a waste of time, but also a waste of perfectly good (and expensive) vanilla pods.

Salted caramel pudding shots

Salted caramel is a classic blend of salty and sweet, heavily marketed as a signature flavor of autumn. Shots, on the other hand, are popular every season and there’s a plethora of recipes on the web on how to spice up a boring shot and transform it into the so called “dessert shot”. Candace at Delish has let her creativity loose with a notably easy, literally 10 minute guide for salted caramel pudding shots with vodka.

Pro tip: If your confidence level in the kitchen isn’t on the lower side, forget about the store bought pudding mix and caramel sauce and make your own from scratch. It will be healthier because you have total control over the ingredients and it will be much more rewarding in the end.

Vodka butter cookies

I pointed out a great tutorial for a vodka-infused pie crust in the first part of the vodka dessert recipe series. Helene at Yummly has done an outstanding job at breaking up the vodka pie crust formula and representing the basic idea into a set of colorful vodka butter cookies. The cookies require less heat processing than a pie crust does, but they are a sweet treat that you need to try at least once in your life, especially due to the fact that they take so little time to prepare and cook.

Pro tip: If you want your cookies to remain soft, store them in an air tight zip lock bag or in a container inside your fridge along with a slice of bread. They will absorb the moisture from the bread, remaining soft and chewy.

French macarons with vodka ganache

othing screams fancy like a set of French macarons, but if you truly want to impress someone with chocolate macarons, opt for spicing up your ganache. Kim at Macaron Fetish is overflowing with mouth-watering ideas and her take on the classic combination of raspberry and dark chocolate is absolutely to die for.

Pro tip: Be gentle when whipping up the batter for the shells, try using egg whites that aren’t perfectly fresh (if they are a few days old they’ll make all the difference) and always sift your dry ingredients through a sieve.

Drunken cherries

Last, but not least, comes a simple, quick, no-brainer recipe for a dessert with vodka that’s perfectly suited for when you’re at your laziest. Crazy For Crust’s Dorothy has a delightful step by step tutorial on how to make a jar of Morello cherries the star of the show. All you need is an overnight headstart et voila!

Pro top: As Dorothy explicitly advises, don’t succumb to the urge to take out the cherries from the vodka until they’ve soaked for at least 24 hours and make sure they’re absolutely dry before dipping them in chocolate, otherwise it won’t stick to them.