Air Fryer Cookies! Have you ever wondered if you can bake cookies in the air fryer? The answer is: YES! These tips will ensure baking success!
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Air fryers have become an essential kitchen tool for home cooks around the nation. From cranking out perfectly crisp frozen foods without the use of extra oil to regular weeknight dinner staples, air fryers have truly earned their place on kitchen countertops in thousands of homes, and once you've tried it, it's easy to see why! (Take it from a kitchen minimalist; I didn't expect to love mine so much, and now I own TWO.)
It's no wonder a common air fryer-related question I often see is "Can you bake cookies in an air fryer?" I'm happy to say, the answer is a resounding YES!
I've done the research and development for air fryer cookies with both of my air fryers: My Ninja Foodi 2 Basket Air Fryer (a basket-style air fryer) and my Kalorik MAXX Air Fryer Oven Grill (an oven-style air fryer), and I'm sharing the findings and all the tips for successful cookie baking!
Want to try more air fryer recipes? Check out two of my favorites: Bacon & Refried Bean Air Fryer Jalapeno Poppers and Air Fryer Salmon!
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Ingredients
First and foremost, let's start with a basic recipe: My favorite chocolate chip cookies!
This is my go-to, easy chocolate chip cookie recipe for any time I have a last minute gathering because they take about 5 minutes to throw together, can be mixed by hand, call for melted butter (so no need to have softened butter ready), and require no chilling! I think you'll love them as much as I do. Here's what you'll need:
- Butter. Melted butter to be exact, which makes it a perfect last minute recipe.
- Brown Sugar. Brown sugar gives that classic chewy chocolate chip texture and flavor.
- Egg Yolks. No full eggs, just the yolks. This makes them extra rich.
- Vanilla extract. Always needed for that extra layer of flavor in baked goods.
- Maple syrup. This ingredient might throw you for a loop, but trust me. The recipe only calls for 1 tablespoon, and I'm not exactly sure what it does, but I have made them without the maple syrup and while they turned out fine, they weren't as good as when I left it in. In a pinch, omit.
- All-purpose flour. I'm fairly certain these can also be baked with one-to-one gluten free flour.
- Baking soda. Just a half teaspoon helps give the cookies a little rise.
- Sea salt. Salt helps balance the sweetness and bring out the flavor.
- Chocolate chips. I like to use semi-sweet, but feel free to use whatever chips you enjoy! You can also use chunks, chopped bars of chocolate, and additional add-ins (see the Variations section below) -- this recipe is very flexible and forgiving and I've made it dozens of ways!
Instructions
Preheat the air fryer to 325 degrees Fahrenheit by running it for 2-3 minutes before baking. Prepare the air fryer baking pan or basket by lining with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract and egg yolks until smooth and uniform in color.
Add flour, baking soda and sea salt directly to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Use a spatula to mix until everything is just combined; do not over-mix. It will be soft at first but will stiffen as it sits.
Mix in chocolate chips (and any other add-ins) until they are well-distributed.
Using a small spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop dough balls onto prepared pan or basket, leaving about 2 inches between each. (See notes about amount for each air fryer.)
Place the pan or basket in the air fryer. Set the air fryer to "Bake" and bake for 325°F for 7-9 minutes. (Times will vary depending on air fryer and how you like your cookies; see notes.)
When the air fryer is finished baking, remove the pan or basket from the air fryer and let the cookies remain on the parchment for about 5 minutes, allowing them to set and slightly harden as they will be soft and difficult to move when warm.
Use a spatula to remove cookies once set and let cool completely on a baking rack.
FAQ's
It depends. For regular frozen foods and many of the other recipes I make in the air fryer, I do not preheat. For cookies, it's best to have the oven or air fryer at the correct cooking temperature before baking the cookies.
It depends on the type of air fryer. It is best to read the owners manual and see what your model recommends.
I often use foil in my Ninja Foodi 2 Basket Air Fryer with no issues. For these cookies, however, I used parchment in both air fryers.
Yes. You will likely need to reduce the recommended baking temperature, but you should be able to bake most types of cookie dough in the air fryer.
Yes. You can bake frozen cookie dough balls in the air fryer just like you can in the oven. It may take an extra minute or two to bake them all the way through, and they might be a bit thicker than if you use room-temperature dough.
To bake cookies in the air fryer, you will likely need to reduce the recommended baking temperature and may need to decrease the baking time. As a rule of thumb, I like to reduce the temperature by about 25 degrees. However, the ideal temperature may also vary based on the type of dough.
It will bake just like in the oven! (Well, sort of... see all of my tips and recommendations.) If you put a pre-baked cookie (not dough) in the air fryer for just 1-2 minutes, you'll have nice, warm cookies that are slightly softened and taste "fresh".
Tips for Baking in the Air Fryer
While I was thrilled with how my air fryer chocolate chip cookies turned out, it took a little trial and error in both types of air fryers to figure out the best methods. Here's what I learned:
General Air Fryer Baking Tips
- Reduce the baking temperature by about 25-30 degrees to accommodate for the smaller cooking space and more direct heat and air circulation.
- Bake for a few less minutes than you would in an oven as things tend to bake more quickly in the air fryer.
- Try not to overcrowd the pan to allow for proper air circulation and spreading.
Oven-Style Air Fryer Baking Tips
- Using parchment paper resulted in more even baking as opposed to spraying the pan with cooking spray in the oven-style air fryer, which increased burning and over-browning on the bottoms.
- If you are using an oven-style air fryer where the heating elements are at the bottom of the appliance, try to place the pan a bit higher than recommended. I found that my cookies were burning on the bottom though they were not completely cooked through when I placed them in the designated "baking" slot in my Kalorik MAXX Air Fryer Oven Grill.
- About 10 small cookies fit on the air fryer baking pan, so you will need to bake in batches. This makes the air fryer ideal for small batch recipes!
Basket Air Fryer Baking Tips
- Cut parchment paper into a rectangle or circle to fit your air fryer basket.
- I used the "Bake" setting on my basket-style air fryer and had to bake the cookies for about 2 minutes longer. They were still soft when they were finished baking (until they cooled), and were more browned overall with softer bottoms.
- Try not to open the air fryer baskets to check on the cookies while baking. I baked them at
- The baskets in my Ninja Foodi 2 Basket Air Fryer only fit about 4-5 cookies in each one, so it took more rounds of baking to make a full batch.
Make sure to read your air fryer model's instruction pamphlet as every air fryer is different and baking instructions can vary from appliance to appliance.
Variations & Substitutions
This recipe lends itself to SO MANY variations, that it's almost impossible to cover them all here. But, for the sake of inspiration, here are a few ideas:
- Add about ½ cup to ¾ cups chopped nuts. Try walnuts, pecans, cashews, macadamia nuts, hazelnuts, peanuts... you name it!
- Try different types of chips. I've tried these using espresso chips and Bailey's chocolate chips, but you can also try butterscotch chips, peanut butter chips, or white chocolate chips. (Or a combination of all of them!)
- Make them salty/sweet. Just before baking, sprinkle the tops with a bit of flaky fleur de sel sea salt.
- Add dried fruit such as dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots. (Both of these would go great with white chocolate chips)
- Mix in some chopped candy or chocolate bars such as Snickers, Heath bars or M&M's. (If you aren't using any chocolate chips, make sure to use about a cup of your chopped add in or the cookies will spread quite a bit more.)
- Add sprinkles just before baking!
Diet Specific Substitutions
- Gluten-Free: Use your favorite one-to-one gluten free flour in place of regular flour.
- Dairy-Free & Vegan: Use plant-based butter instead of regular. Swap egg yolks for 2 tablespoons of plant-based egg substitute such as JustEgg (you may need to play with the amounts). Swap regular chocolate chips for dairy-free chocolate chips.
Air Fryer Cookies
Ingredients
- 12 tablespoons unsalted butter melted
- ¾ cup brown sugar
- 1 tablespoon maple syrup
- 1½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- 2 egg yolks
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon sea salt
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the air fryer to 325°F by running it for 2-3 minutes before baking. Prepare the air fryer baking pan or basket by lining with a sheet of parchment paper. Set aside.
- In a large bowl, whisk together melted butter, brown sugar, maple syrup, vanilla extract and egg yolks until smooth and uniform in color.
- Add flour, baking soda and sea salt directly to the wet ingredients in the bowl. Use a spatula to mix until everything is just combined; do not over-mix. It will be soft at first but will stiffen as it sits.
- Mix in chocolate chips (and any other add-ins) until they are well-distributed.
- Using a small spring-loaded cookie scoop, scoop dough balls onto prepared pan or basket, leaving about 2 inches between each. (See notes about amount for each air fryer.)
- Place the pan or basket in the air fryer. Set the air fryer to "Bake" and bake for 325°F for 7-9 minutes. (Times will vary depending on air fryer and how you like your cookies; see notes.)
- When the air fryer is finished baking, remove the pan or basket from the air fryer and let the cookies remain on the parchment for about 5 minutes, allowing them to set and slightly harden as they will be soft and difficult to move when warm.
- Use a spatula to remove cookies once set and let cool completely on a baking rack.
Notes
- Add about ½ cup to ¾ cups chopped nuts of your choice.
- Swap semi-sweet chocolate chips for milk chocolate, dark chocolate, butterscotch, peanut butter , or white chocolate.
- Sprinkle the tops with a bit of flaky fleur de sel sea salt.
- Add dried cranberries or chopped dried apricots.
- Mix in some chopped candy or chocolate bars.
- Add sprinkles just before baking!
- Gluten-Free: Use your favorite one-to-one gluten free flour in place of regular flour.
- Dairy-Free & Vegan: Use plant-based butter instead of regular. Swap egg yolks for 2 tablespoons of plant-based egg substitute such as JustEgg (you may need to play with the amounts). Swap regular chocolate chips for dairy-free chocolate chips.