Air fryers are a great alternative to baking cookies in an oven. They can bake up a few cookies in about half the time an oven takes, and they don't need much time for preheating. The circulating air cooks the food faster and at a lower temperature, like a convection oven. The shorter baking time means you're less likely to walk away — potentially cutting down on burnt cookies. Another advantage? It creates a cookie that’s crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside.
Characteristics | Values |
---|---|
Time | Air fryer cookies take around 5-12 minutes to bake, which is about half the time of a conventional oven. |
Texture | Air fryer cookies are crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside. |
Temperature | Air fryers cook at a lower temperature than a conventional oven, as they cook food faster. |
Preheating | Air fryers don't need much time for preheating. |
Batch size | Air fryers are great for small batches of cookies (1-4 cookies at a time). |
Recipe | Air fryers work with most cookie recipes but are especially good for chocolate chip cookies. |
Toppings | Gooey toppings can be harder to get right in an air fryer. |
Pan | It's best to use a baking pan in an air fryer to avoid a mess, as dough can drip through the basket. |
What You'll Learn
Air fryer cookies are crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside
Air fryer cookies are a quick and easy way to make a small batch of cookies without heating up your kitchen. The high fan speed and concentrated heat of the air fryer make the cookies crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside.
To make air fryer cookies, you will need a standard air fryer, parchment paper, and your choice of cookie dough. The first step is to line the bottom of the air fryer basket with foil to aid in cleanup. Then, line the racks or basket with parchment paper, leaving room around the paper for air to flow. You can also use parchment paper with holes in it or cut slits into the paper yourself.
Next, place your cookie dough onto the parchment paper. Depending on the size of your air fryer, you will likely be able to fit 2-5 cookies, spaced about 1 inch apart. If you are using a larger cookie dough scoop, you may need to flatten the dough slightly.
Once your cookies are in the air fryer, bake them at 320-350°F for 5-12 minutes, or until golden brown. The cookies will need to cool for a few minutes before serving.
Air fryer cookies are best enjoyed warm and can be stored in an airtight container at room temperature for up to three days.
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You can use store-bought or homemade cookie dough
However, if you want to make your cookies from scratch, you can do that too! You can make your favourite cookie dough recipe or try something new. For instance, you could try a vanilla cookie dough with chocolate chips or even peanut butter cookies. If you're making your own dough, it's recommended to let it sit in the refrigerator for at least an hour, or even overnight, before air frying. This will help the dough firm up and make it easier to shape and work with.
When you're ready to bake, simply line your air fryer basket with parchment paper or foil, place your desired number of dough balls inside, and air fry at the appropriate temperature and time for your chosen recipe. You can also experiment with different types of chocolate chips or other mix-ins, such as walnuts, shredded coconut, or peanut butter chips.
So, whether you're in a hurry and need a quick treat or want to indulge in some freshly baked, homemade cookies, using an air fryer is a great option!
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You don't need to preheat the air fryer
While some recipes and air fryer instructions may tell you to preheat your air fryer, it is not always necessary. Preheating your air fryer can be a waste of electricity and time, especially when cooking food that cooks relatively quickly or doesn't easily burn.
Air Fryers Heat Up Quickly
Air fryers heat up very quickly, so there is often no need to preheat. One source says that preheating their air fryer only takes two minutes, while another says it takes theirs five minutes. In contrast, a standard oven can take 10 to 25 minutes to preheat.
Preheating Can Be Unnecessary for Some Foods
Preheating is unnecessary for foods that cook quickly or don't easily burn. For example, tater tots, chicken nuggets, frozen fries, Texas toast, and pizza rolls can go straight into the air fryer without preheating.
Preheating Can Dry Out or Overcook Some Foods
If you are making something very delicate, like shrimp, or cooking garlic and tomatoes for a salsa, you don't want to burn or dry out the food. In these cases, it is better not to preheat the air fryer.
Preheating May Not Be Necessary for Baked Goods
If you are baking cookies, you may not need to preheat your air fryer. One source says they do not bother preheating their air fryer when making cookies, and another says that if you wouldn't preheat your oven for a particular baked good, you probably don't need to preheat your air fryer either.
Preheating May Not Be Necessary for Long Cook Times
If you are cooking something for a long time, such as a whole chicken or a baked potato, you don't need to preheat your air fryer.
Preheating May Not Be Necessary for Frozen Foods
Preheating is not always necessary for cooking frozen foods. For example, one source says they cook frozen egg rolls without preheating, and another says they cook frozen cookies without preheating.
Preheating May Not Be Necessary for All Air Fryer Models
Some air fryer models do not have a preheat function, so preheating is not possible. Additionally, some sources say that they have found no difference between cooking with and without preheating.
Preheating May Only Be Necessary for Certain Foods
Preheating is generally only necessary for foods that easily burn or take a long time to cook through. For example, lasagna, large bone-in chicken pieces, dense casseroles, and baked goods like calzones may benefit from preheating. Preheating is also a good idea if you want to achieve a crispy and crunchy texture with fried or breaded foods.
Preheating May Help Reduce Cooking Time
Preheating your air fryer can help reduce cooking time, as the cooking process starts at a higher temperature.
Tips for Preheating Your Air Fryer
If you decide to preheat your air fryer, there are a few things to keep in mind. First, make sure your air fryer is plugged in and turned on. Set the desired cooking temperature and adjust the timer to the recommended preheating time. This duration allows the air fryer to reach the specified temperature thoroughly. For optimal results, preheat the air fryer with an empty basket to ensure even heat distribution. Some air fryers have a preheating indicator that will signal when the preheating process is complete.
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You can make just a few cookies at a time
One of the best things about using an air fryer to make cookies is that you can make just a few at a time if you don't want to deal with a full batch.
The air fryer is a great option for small-batch desserts, as the cooking space is quite limiting. This can be an advantage as it means you can only make several at a time, which is perfect for portion control.
If you want to make more than a few cookies at a time, you will have to work in batches. This process may be preferable if you're just looking to have a few freshly baked cookies for yourself or to share with a friend.
You can also freeze the rest of the cookie dough for another time.
Here's a recipe for air fryer cookies:
Ingredients:
- 125 g unsalted butter
- 100 g light brown sugar
- 75 g white granulated sugar
- 1 tsp vanilla (optional)
- 1/2 tsp bicarbonate of soda
- 300 g chocolate chips (150g dark, 150g milk)
Method:
- Add the butter and sugars to a bowl and beat until creamy.
- Add in the egg and vanilla and beat again.
- Add the plain flour, cornflour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt and beat until a cookie dough is formed!
- Add the chocolate chips and beat until they're distributed well!
- Portion your cookie dough onto a tray - use a 5cm scoop and they should weigh about 50-60g each.
- Line your air fryer with a piece of parchment paper (you can put holes in the paper if you like) and add as many cookies as will fit. For my air fryer, I did three at a time.
- Bake the cookies for 10 minutes at 160ºc.
- Once baked, let the cookies cool for a few minutes before removing the parchment paper with the cookies on as they will still be very soft. Let the cookies cool for 15 minutes before enjoying.
- Repeat as many times as you want for as many cookies as you need.
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You can bake cookies in an air fryer in half the time it takes in an oven
Air fryers are a great alternative to baking cookies in a traditional oven. Not only do they cut down the baking time by half, but they also deliver the same, if not better, results.
Air fryers are basically small, countertop convection ovens with a new look and PR push. They are mighty and cook food faster and at a lower temperature. The circulating air cooks the food faster and at a lower temperature, much like a convection oven. This is why baking cookies in an air fryer takes around half the time it would take in an oven. For example, a basic chocolate chip cookie will bake at 350°F for five minutes in an air fryer, whereas in a traditional oven, it would take between 9 and 11 minutes.
The shorter baking time means you’re less likely to walk away and potentially forget about your cookies, cutting down on the chances of burning them. Another advantage of using an air fryer is that it creates a cookie that’s crisp on the outside and gooey on the inside. In fact, crispy exteriors are what the air fryer excels at. The close proximity of air circulation and intense dryness of an air fryer’s heat cook and crisp the entire exterior of the cookie. A standard oven cannot achieve this effect because the chamber is larger and the heating elements are farther away, meaning only the edges will crisp while the tops and middles stay soft.
To bake cookies in an air fryer, first prepare the dough. If you’re using store-bought dough, get it out of the fridge and divide it into even amounts based on the yield of the recipe. Next, prep the air fryer basket by spraying the inner basket with non-stick cooking spray to prevent the cookies from sticking, or use a small baking pan if you have one that fits in the air fryer basket. You can also line the basket with parchment paper, which works better than aluminium foil as the cookies never stick to the bottom.
Then, it's time to bake! The time and temperature will depend on the type of cookie you are making and whether you are following a recipe specifically designed for an air fryer or a conventional oven. For example, if a conventional oven recipe calls for a temperature of 350°F, set the air fryer to about 325°F. Start with baking for 5 minutes, and add bake time in 1-minute increments as necessary.
Finally, gently remove the finished cookies and transfer them to a wire rack to cool. And that's it! You've baked cookies in half the time with minimal effort and clean-up!
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