Go from cookie craving to cookie reality in less than 15 minutes with my Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies! With crispy edges and soft and gooey insides this small batch recipe is perfect for when you're craving cookies but don't want to make a full batch. Gluten-free option included and it's as good as the gluten-filled version!
6 tablespoons (47grams)all purpose flour, (plain flour in the UK) or 6 tablespoons (56 grams) of Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free 1 to 1 Baking Flour
½teaspoonbaking powder
⅛teaspoonbaking soda, (bicarbonate of soda in the UK)
1tablespoonplant-based milk
¼ cup (45 grams)dairy-free chocolate chips or chunks, or a combination of chips and chunks, plus a few extra for decoration
Optional
Flaky sea salt for sprinkling
Instructions
Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit in the bottom of your air fryer basket. It needs to be a little smaller than the surface area and not go up the sides of the basket.
To a medium bowl add the butter, brown sugar, white sugar, vanilla and salt. Mix them together until well combined.
Add the flour, baking powder, baking soda and milk and stir gently to combine. Don't over-mix.
Once it's just combined, tip in the chocolate chips and fold them through.
Using an ice cream scoop or cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough (about 3 tablespoons per cookie) onto the parchment paper in the air fryer basket leaving plenty of space around each one. If you don't have a scoop roll it into balls in your hands. My air fryer is a 5.8 quart one and 4 cookies fit perfectly. If your air fryer is smaller just scoop in as many as will fit and cook a 2nd batch after.
Leave the cookie dough heaped. Do not press it down. It will spread on its own. At this point I like to press a few extra chocolate chips/chunks gently into the tops to make them look pretty. A sprinkle of flaky sea salt is amazing too if you have it.
Slide the basket into the air fryer (do this really gently so the cookies don't slide forward as you close it) and cook on 350°F (175 °C) for about 8 minutes (10 minutes if using gluten-free flour). When done the cookies will be golden brown all over and the tops will look set. They will be more golden than cookies cooked in an oven. It's important to let that colour develop so the bottoms and middle cook properly.
Once they are cooked turn off the air fryer, remove the basket and give it a sharp, quite hard tap on a hard surface like a thick wooden cutting board, your wire rack or a cast iron stove top. This knocks any air out of the cookies and improves the texture. Especially important if you used gluten-free flour because they tend to be a little puffier.
Place the entire basket on a wire rack and leave the cookies to cool for at least 10 minutes before attempting to remove them from the basket so that they firm up. If you try to remove them before this they will be way too soft and fall apart (but taste amazing ;O)
Notes
This recipe was tested in a Cosori 5.8 quart air fryer. It will work with any air fryer, but timing may differ slightly from brand to brandSuccess tips
Cookies are finicky and if the fat to flour and sugar ratios end up off, even very slightly, they won't spread properly or they can spread too much. This means measuring accurately is really important. Weighing with a digital scale is always best but if not, use measuring spoons and scoop the ingredient up gently and level with with back of knife without compacting.
Don't over-mix the cookie dough as you'll end up activating the gluten and making your cookies tough.
You must line the air fryer basket with a piece of parchment paper as instructed or the cookie dough will melt down through the holes. It's important that it is slightly smaller than the surface area of your air fryer though so that the hot air can circulate. The paper should not go up the sides at all.
This recipe has only been tested using parchment paper. If you use anything else (like foil) to line your air fryer basket the cooking time will be affected.
Don't preheat your air fryer. Once it's hot it's very hard to scoop and place the cookie dough in it without burning yourself so I adapted the recipe to work from cool.
When you slide the air fryer basket with the cookies inside, into your air fryer, do it gently. If you're a bit rough they have a tendency to slide forward on the paper which can ruin their appearance and make them all stick together.
The short, sharp tap you give the cookies when you remove them from the air fryer is important for great cookie texture so don't skip that step. It's especially important if you are baking gluten-free cookies because they bake up a little puffier. Tapping the air fryer basket knocks the air out of them and the cookies texture improves.
Once done be sure to let the cookies sit in the basket for at least 5 to 10 minutes before trying to remove them as like all cookies they start off really soft and will firm up as they cool. If you try to move them too soon they will break.
Storage & reheatingThere are only 4 cookies so I doubt this will be necessary, but if you do need to store them, they will keep in an airtight container for up to a week. You can also refresh a leftover cookie in your air fryer to make it taste freshly baked again. Cut a small piece of parchment paper a little bigger than your cookie and place the cookie on it in the air fryer basket. Cook on 300°F for about 2 minutes. It will become perfectly warm, soft and chewy again!