Air Fryer Cookies
Air fryer cookies bake in the basket at 160°C, so you get warm chocolate chip cookies without heating a full-size oven. The dough is a classic mix of butter, two sugars, plain flour and chocolate chips, and it makes 20 cookies. Each batch takes about 9 minutes, which gives golden edges and a soft middle that firms up as the cookies cool.
- Total
- 1 h 18 min
- Prep
- 15 min
- Cook
- 48 min
- Serves
- 20 cookies
- Per 1 cookie
- 152kcal
Ingredients and swaps for air fryer cookies
The butter should be soft enough to dent with a finger but not greasy or melted, otherwise the cookies spread too thin. Light brown sugar gives the chew and caster sugar helps the edges crisp. Milk chocolate chips make a sweeter cookie, while dark ones balance the sugar. A chopped bar of chocolate gives melting pools instead of chips.
How to prepare air fryer cookies
Tap a time to start a timer.
- Preheat and cream Heat the air fryer to 160°C for . Meanwhile, beat the softened butter with both sugars in a large bowl until smooth and creamy.
- Add the egg and vanilla Stir in the egg and vanilla extract until fully combined.
- Fold in the dry ingredients Sift the flour and bicarbonate of soda into the bowl, add the pinch of salt and stir until no dry streaks are left. Fold in the chocolate chips. Stop mixing as soon as the dough comes together, because overworking it makes the cookies tough.
- Shape the dough Divide the dough into 20 pieces of about 35g each and roll them into balls, a little bigger than a walnut.
- Bake in batches Cut a piece of baking paper to fit the basket floor and set 4 dough balls on it, at least 5cm apart. Lower the paper into the basket straight away so the dough holds it down. Bake at 160°C for , until the edges are golden and the centres still look slightly soft.
- Cool and repeat Leave the cookies in the basket for to firm up, then lift them on to a wire rack to cool for at least . Repeat with the remaining dough on fresh paper, 5 batches in all.
Baking in batches, and the oven method
A standard 4–5.5 litre basket holds four cookies without them merging, so the dough is baked in five rounds. Keep the unbaked dough balls on a plate in the fridge between batches, and let the basket cool for a minute before reloading it. If you would rather use the oven, bake the balls on lined baking trays at 180°C (160°C fan), gas 4, for 10–12 minutes, with 5cm between them.
Common problems and fixes for Air Fryer Cookies
- The cookies spread into one large cookie.
- Space the dough balls at least 5cm apart and keep to 4 per batch. If the dough feels very soft, chill the shaped balls in the fridge for 10 minutes before baking.
- The edges are dark but the middle is raw.
- Machines vary in power. Check from 7 minutes, and if your air fryer browns quickly, bake at 150°C and add 1–2 minutes.
- The cookies break when you lift them.
- They are very soft straight from the heat. Leave them in the basket for 2 minutes, then slide them on to the rack on the paper.
- The baking paper flies up and touches the element.
- Never preheat with loose paper in the basket. Add it only with the dough on top, and trim it so it does not cover the whole floor.
Frequently asked questions about Air Fryer Cookies
How long do you cook cookies in the air fryer?
About 9 minutes at 160°C per batch, until the edges are golden. Check from 8 minutes, and give bigger cookies 10–11 minutes.
Do you need baking paper in the air fryer?
Yes. The paper stops the dough sagging through the basket holes and makes the cookies easy to lift out. Perforated air fryer liners work too.
What can I use instead of chocolate chips?
Use a chopped bar of chocolate, raisins or chopped walnuts, about 150g in total. If you use salted butter, leave out the pinch of salt.
How do you store the cookies and the dough?
Keep baked cookies in an airtight tin for up to 4 days. The shaped dough balls freeze for up to 3 months, and can be baked straight from the freezer at 160°C, adding 1–2 minutes.
How did you like the recipe?
4.7 / 5 · 58 ratings
