Why You Need To Bake Cookies In The Air Fryer This Year

Since arriving on the scene back in 2010, air fryers have become a must-have gadget in the kitchen that provides the convenience of a microwave with the cooking quality of an oven. You can practically prepare an entire dinner with the savvy appliance — air fryers are superior for reheating leftover french fries or roasting proteins and veggies without the mess of multiple pots and sheet pans. Even beyond dinnertime, an air fryer can also help you prepare dessert.

Next time you whip up a batch of cookies, reach for your air fryer rather than preheating your oven. The air fryer's high heat and rapid air circulation bake the dough, resulting in a golden brown and crunchy cookie on the outside while the inside remains soft and gooey. This baking hack is perfect for those moments when you are craving something sweet but don't want to bake an entire sheet of cookies. Most air fryers can bake up to four cookies at a time due to the small circumference of the air fryer basket, offering the perfect serving size for one or two cookie lovers to indulge without having to worry about any extras. This trick even works well with many types of cookie dough, although harder cookies such as shortbreads likely won't fare as well. To play it safe, stick to recipes like chocolate chip, peanut butter, and sugar cookies. 

After cleaning your air fryer — something everyone should absolutely do more often — prep a single serving of cookie dough balls for air frying. Allow nine to 10 minutes of cook time at 320 degrees Fahrenheit for room temperature cookie dough. If your dough was refrigerated before baking, you will want to bump up your cook time to 11 to 13 minutes and bump down the cook temperature to 270 degrees Fahrenheit. Because of its ability to reflect heat back onto food while cooking, lining the bottom of your air fryer with tin foil will help you achieve crispy cookies with a slightly overdone edge, while lining with parchment paper is better for those who prefer gooey cookies.

Let your cookies sit in the basket for a minute or two after they are done, or they will likely fall apart when you try to move them. Much like a cookie that sits on a hot baking sheet for a few extra minutes before transferring to a cooling rack (or straight into your mouth), these extra minutes allow the dough to solidify so it can be handled without falling apart. After cooling, expect the cookies to be slightly smaller and denser than those prepared in the oven due to the dough's inability to spread out before crisping up. Air fried chocolate chip cookies promise a surprisingly soft and delicious interior with melted chocolate chips and a slightly crunchy crust.