Air Fryer Recipe
Air-fried cookies
Air-fried cookies offer a delightful crisp on the outside and a chewy center, using less oil than traditional baking methods.
Ingredients
- 125g unsalted butter, softened
- 100g caster sugar
- 75g soft brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 175g plain flour
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- Pinch of salt
- 150g chocolate chips or chunks
Method
- Cream together the butter, caster sugar, and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes with an electric mixer.
- Add the vanilla extract and egg, and beat until combined.
- In a separate bowl, mix the flour, baking soda, and salt.
- Gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients, mixing just until incorporated.
- Stir in the chocolate chips.
- Line the air fryer basket with parchment paper or a reusable silicone liner.
- Scoop tablespoon-sized balls of dough and place them in the air fryer, ensuring space between each.
- Air fry at 160°C (320°F) for 5-7 minutes, or until the edges are golden brown.
- Let the cookies cool on a wire rack before enjoying.
Why this works in an air fryer
The air fryer’s small, fast convection chamber sets the cookie edges quickly while the butter melts and steams the centre, giving a crisp rim and soft middle. Limited radiant heat means browning comes mostly from surface drying and sugar caramelisation, so spacing and liner choice matter more than in a conventional oven.
Equipment notes
Assumes a 5–6 litre basket, cooking about 4–6 tablespoon-sized cookies at once; in a single drawer, place dough towards the centre and leave airflow gaps, while dual-zone drawers usually need smaller batches per side and may need the full 7 minutes because each compartment is narrower and more heat cycles are interrupted.
Common pitfalls
- Cookies merging into one slab by minute 4? The dough is too warm or the balls are too close; chill the dough for 20–30 minutes and leave at least 4cm between portions.
- Pale tops but over-brown bottoms? The basket or liner is conducting too much heat before the tops dry; reduce to 150°C and add 1–2 minutes rather than pushing the temperature higher.
- Parchment lifting or scorching near the fan? It is too large or unweighted; trim it to the basket base and only add it once the dough balls are sitting on it.
- Cookies look set at the edge but collapse into raw centres after cooling? The scoops are too large for air-fryer timing; use level tablespoons or cook at 150°C for an extra 2 minutes for thicker cookies.
Variations & substitutions
- Use chopped dark chocolate instead of chips for larger molten pockets; keep the timing similar but cool the cookies longer so the centres firm up.
- Add 50g chopped walnuts or pecans; the dough spreads slightly less, so flatten the balls lightly before air frying.
- Replace 25g of the plain flour with cocoa powder for chocolate cookies; they brown less visibly, so judge doneness by set edges rather than colour.
- Add a pinch of flaky sea salt on top before cooking; it does not change timing, but it draws a little surface moisture so the tops set slightly crisper.
Storage & reheating
Keep cooled cookies in an airtight tin for up to 4 days, then refresh in the air fryer at 140°C for 2–3 minutes to re-crisp the edges.
Nutrition
Calories: 250
