These tasty air fryer chocolate chip cookies are a quick homemade dessert! They are crispy outside with gooey, melted chocolate inside and they bake in only 5 minutes.
Chocolate chip cookies are my family’s favorite cookies! This cookie recipe makes a small batch of 12 cookies that you can quickly bake in the air fryer.
Why Make Cookies in the Air Fryer?
If you mostly use your air fryer for heating up pizza you are missing out! The air fryer is excellent for baking, even desserts like cookies.
Air fryers cook by blowing hot air around the food, which means it cooks fast. This gives you cookies that are baked perfectly, crispy on top but with warm and gooey chocolate inside.
Plus you don’t have to worry about heating up your kitchen during warm spring and summer weather.
Small Batch Cookies
Because air fryers are smaller than an oven they are best suited for a small batch of cookies. If you want to make cookies for a holiday cookie exchange it will probably be best to use the oven.
But if you want cookies for a family the air fryer is the perfect size. I find fresh baked cookies (especially chocolate chip cookies) very, very difficult to resist, so I tend to eat too many!
Key Ingredients
This air fryer cookie recipe includes all but one of the standard ingredients you will find in a Nestle Toll House cookie recipe. It uses flour, baking soda, salt, brown sugar, butter, egg, vanilla and chocolate chips.
The only standard ingredient not included is white sugar. Using just brown sugar makes the cookie chewier and moister.
How to Make Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
1. Make Batter
In the bowl of a mixer combine the softened butter, sugar, egg and vanilla. Beat them together until they are smooth and creamy. This will take 3-5 minutes.
Add the flour, baking soda and salt to the mixer bowl. Mix until the flour is just combined. Then fold the chocolate chips into the batter.
2. Make Cookie Balls
While you make the cookie balls set the air fryer to preheat at 350 degrees F. Then use a cookie scoop to make tablespoon sized cookie balls, about 3/4 of an inch in diameter.
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3. Air Fry
Once the air fryer is preheated put parchment paper in the basket. You can buy parchment paper precut to fit most air fryer baskets or cut it yourself.
Don’t put parchment paper in the basket until after you preheat! It will fly up and stick to the heating element if you leave it in while preheating. This will make a mess and maybe even catch on fire. (And yes, I’ve made this mistake, but only once!)
Put the dough balls onto the parchment paper and flatten them lightly. I just use my fingers to squish them. The dough will not spread as much in the air fryer as the oven, so you need to flatten the cookies!
I can easily fit 8 tablespoon size cookies in my 5.8 quart Cosori air fryer, although basket sizes differ. Don’t put the cookies too close together, because they will spread a little bit.
Air fry the cookies at 350 degrees F for 5 minutes, until the tops start to turn golden brown. Then remove them to a cookie rack to cool slightly and cook another batch.
How to Serve
Nothing beats a warm chocolate chip cookie with melty chocolate. So eat them right away with a glass of milk on the side!
How to Store
If you have leftover cookies store them in an air tight container at room temperature for 3-4 days. Or you can store the dough balls, uncooked, in the refrigerator for up to five days and make them as you want.
How to Freeze
This cookie dough freezes very well. Just make it into dough balls and flatten them. Then freeze them flat on a tray overnight and put them into a freezer bag.
Then you can put the frozen cookie dough right into the air fryer and cook them from frozen at 350 degrees F. Just add 2 minutes to the cooking time, cooking them for 7 minutes total.
This means you can make 1 or 2 frozen cookies whenever you want, without heating up the kitchen or getting any dishes dirty!
Variations and Tips
- If you like nuts in your chocolate chip cookies add 1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans to the cookies.
- I have made these with vegan chocolate chips and soy butter with excellent results.
- Make sure you flatten the cookie balls! Cookies will not spread in the air fryer like they will in the oven.
- Don’t make the cookies too big, or they will not cook through in the middle.
FAQ
Instead of looking at the bottom of the cookie, look at the top. The cookie should begin to evenly brown on every side when it is done cooking. Keep in mind that air fryer is different and there could be a variation in cooking times.
If you have a cookie sheet small enough you can use it in an air fryer. But there isn’t much benefit to using one. Parchment paper on the bottom of the air fryer basket will work as well if not better than a cookie sheet.
You can use aluminum foil in an air fryer, but most of the time parchment paper will work better. Foil might make things brown more quickly, especially cookies.
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Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup brown sugar
- ¼ cup softened butter
- 1 egg
- ½ teaspoon vanilla
- 1 cup flour
- ¼ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon salt
- ½ cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, use an electric mixer to blend the sugar, butter, egg and vanilla until smooth and creamy.½ cup brown sugar, ¼ cup softened butter, 1 egg, ½ teaspoon vanilla
- Add the flour, baking soda and salt. Then mix just until combined.1 cup flour, ¼ teaspoon baking soda, ¼ teaspoon salt
- Fold in the chocolate chips.½ cup chocolate chips
- Preheat your air fryer by setting it to 350 and allowing it to warm for about 3 minutes while you form your cookie dough balls.
- Using a small cookie scoop, form Tablespoon sized dough balls.
- When the air fryer is preheated, line the basket with a layer of parchment paper and place dough balls evenly apart.
- Press down lightly on the dough balls to flatten slightly.
- Cook at 350 degrees for 5-7 minutes or until the tops start to turn golden brown.
Video
Notes
- If you like nuts in your chocolate chip cookies add 1/2 cup of walnuts or pecans to the cookies.
- I have made these with vegan chocolate chips and soy butter with excellent results.
- Make sure you flatten the cookie balls! Cookies will not spread in the air fryer like they will in the oven.
- Don't make the cookies too big, or they will not cook through in the middle.
- Do not preheat the air fryer with parchment paper in it. The paper will fly up and stick to the heating element.
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Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
