This air fryer Kiss cookie is a delicious dessert that will be a family favorite. A rich, buttery sugar cookie is coated in festive sugar and topped with a sweet chocolate kiss. Make cookies in the air fryer this holiday season!
This air fryer cookie recipe has a bit of a twist on the standard peanut blossom cookie. There is no peanut butter in the recipe; instead is made from a nut-free buttery vanilla dough. It is a perfect treat for chocolate lovers who don’t love peanut butter!
And making it in the air fryer means these bake much faster than a traditional cookie recipe. You can enjoy warm, fresh cookies with melty chocolate Kisses after just 7 minutes of baking. Transform your Christmas baking this year by putting your air fryer to work!
🍪Small Batch Air Fryer Cookies
One of my favorite things about air fryer cookies is that it is easy to make a small batch of cookies without heating up the house. Using the oven is practical if you need a lot of cookies for a party. But baking in the air fryer works great if you just want a few cookies for a quick homemade snack.
My air fryer makes 8-10 cookies at a time, which is plenty for my family’s sweet tooth and keeps us from overindulging. The extra dough from this recipe can easily be frozen or used to make other holiday cookies.
Love classic cookies? Check out my recipes for air fryer snickerdoodles or air fryer chocolate chip cookies!
🧈Key Ingredients
For exact amounts needed see the recipe card below
Hershey Kisses – I used milk chocolate kisses, but other flavors like white chocolate or dark chocolate are also delicious.
Butter and shortening – Butter and shortening give these cookies their rich flavor.
Instant vanilla pudding – Adding instant pudding mix gives these cookies a soft texture.
Sparkling sugar or sprinkles: Sparkling sugar is optional, but it does add a festive look to the cookies.
The remaining simple ingredients are baking staples, including granulated sugar, eggs, vanilla extract, flour, baking powder, and salt.
🥣How to Make Air Fryer Hershey’s Kiss Cookies
1. Make the Cookie Dough
Cream the butter, shortening, and white sugar with an electric mixer in a medium-sized bowl. Once it is fluffy and well combined, add the eggs, vanilla extract, and instant pudding powder and mix well.
Mix the baking powder and salt with the flour in a separate mixing bowl. Add the dry ingredients, 1/3 at a time, and mix until combined.
2. Make the Cookies
This simple cookie dough does not need to be refrigerated before baking. Use a cookie scoop or a tablespoon to make dough balls about 1 1/2 inches. Make 8-10 cookie dough balls, or however many will fit in your air fryer.
If you are using sparkling sugar or sprinkles, place them in a shallow bowl. Roll the balls of dough in sugar to coat them with color.
Slightly flatten the cookies with a drinking glass or your finger. They should be about 1/2 inch thick. Don’t add the Kisses until after air frying!
3. Air Fry the Cookies
Preheat the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 3 minutes. Place a sheet of perforated parchment paper in the basket after preheating. Never preheat with a piece of parchment paper inside!
Add the flattened cookies to the basket, keeping them in a single layer about 1 1/2 inches apart. These cookies will spread some, but not as much as oven-baked cookies.
Air fry the cookies at 350 F for 5-8 minutes. They are done when the dough under the sprinkles is light brown, and the middle is set.
4. Add the Kisses
While the cookie bake, unwrap the Kisses. Leave the cookies in the air fryer basket and gently press a candy into the center of each cookie. Keep the cookies in the basket for 5-10 minutes, then transfer them to a wire rack.
🎄Making Multiple Batches of Cookies
My 5.8-quart Cosori air fryer makes about 8 cookies per batch. This recipe makes enough for about 40 cookies. So you can make another batch of cookies or save the dough to make later. See the freezing instructions here.
In addition, this same cookie dough can make other air fryer cookies, including Christmas M&M cookies, Sugar cookies, and Strawberry Thumbprint cookies.
So you can use the rest of the dough to make other varieties of cookies and end up with 40 tasty cookies of lots of different types for your Christmas Cookie exchange. Check out the individual posts for your favorite varieties:
💭How to Store
Store the air fryer Kiss cookies in an airtight container for 3-4 days. Use parchment paper to separate the layers.
To freeze leftover cookies, let them cool completely. Then package them in a freezer bag or storage container. Keep them in a single layer or use parchment paper to separate them. They will keep for about a month in the freezer.
🧊Freezing the Dough
This dough freezes well. I generally divide it into 4 parts, wrap them tightly in plastic wrap and freeze it in a freezer-safe container. Then I can make 8-12 cookies per dough portion. Put the dough in the refrigerator the night before you plan to make it, and let it thaw.
⭐Tips for Making the Best Air Fryer Kiss Cookies
Be sure to check out the step by step instructions
- Use softened butter in the recipe.
- Never preheat the air fryer with parchment paper inside.
- Flatten the cookies slightly before air frying.
- Add the Hershey’s Kiss after air frying.
📝FAQ
The cookies don’t have much time to spread because the air fryer cooks quickly. So without flattening, the outside might be cooked before the middle.
Yes, you can bake this classic recipe in the oven. Bake the cookies in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 12-15 minutes.
Parchment paper is recommended but not essential. It makes cookie baking in the air fryer much easier, especially if you make multiple batches. You can buy perforated parchment paper perfectly sized for most air fryer baskets or cut your own.
Did You Make This? Leave a Star Rating!
Air Fryer Kiss Cookies Recipe
Ingredients
- ¾ cup unsalted butter softened
- ¼ cup shortening
- 1 ½ cups sugar
- 2 eggs
- 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract
- 2 ½ cup flour
- 1 box instant vanilla pudding
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1/4 cup sparkling sugar or sprinkles optional
- 40 Hershey’s Kisses milk chocolate, or your favorite flavor
Instructions
- Place the butter, shortening, and sugar in a mixing bowl. Cream them together with an electric mixer.¾ cup unsalted butter, ¼ cup shortening, 1 ½ cups sugar
- Add in eggs, vanilla, and instant pudding mix. Mix until combined.2 eggs, 1 ½ teaspoon vanilla extract, 1 box instant vanilla pudding
- In a separate bowl, stir the flour, baking powder, and salt.2 ½ cup flour, 1 teaspoon baking powder, ½ teaspoon salt
- Add the flour mixture to the butter mixture a third at a time. Mix in between additions until all the flour is combined.
- Preheat the air fryer at 350 degrees F for 3 minutes. Make sure you don’t preheat with parchment paper inside.
- Use a spoon or cookie scoop to make tablespoon size dough balls.
- Optional: If using sparkling sugar or sprinkles, place them in a shallow bowl. Roll the dough balls on the plate until coated.1/4 cup sparkling sugar or sprinkles
- Flatten the cookie balls slightly with your fingers, pushing them down until they are about 1/2 inch thick.
- Once preheated, add a parchment paper liner to the air fryer basket. Place the cookies on the parchment paper, keeping them about 1 inch apart. Make multiple batches if necessary.
- Bake for 5-8 minutes or until set and golden brown.
- While the cookies bake, unwrap the Hershey’s Kisses.40 Hershey’s Kisses
- Take the basket out of the air fryer and gently press a Kiss into the center of each cookie. Let them cool in the basket for 5 minutes before transferring them to a wire baking rack to finish cooling.
Notes
One Dough, 4 Cookies
Use this same cookie dough to make other air fryer cookie recipes! See here for all the classic cookies you can create, make some festive treats for the holidays, and fill your cookie platter quickly.Freezing the Dough
This dough freezes well. Divide it into 4 parts, wrap each tightly in plastic wrap and freeze. I can make 8-12 cookies per dough portion. Put the frozen cookie dough in the refrigerator the night before you plan to make it, and let it thaw.As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
Recommended Products
Nutrition Information
Nutrition facts are estimates.
