These Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies are buttery and nutty with caramelly undertones. Studded with melty pockets of chocolate, a crispy top, and chewy underneath, this recipe is perfected! There's no need for refrigeration and no waiting for butter to soften - It makes one batch of 6 cookies!
I wanted to create air fryer chocolate chip cookies with a moist and chewy texture, a crisp top, and boast a complexity of sweet, toffee, and butterscotch flavors to balance the sweetness.
The finished cookies will emerge from the air fryer with a slightly glossy sheen and an alluring surface of cracks with gooey bits of melted chocolate, like the almond flour chocolate chip cookies.
Perfect cookies have a lot to do with sugar, like the chocolate chip cookie for one. Dissolving the sugar in melted butter, allows it to break down more easily, which then immediately caramelizes at a lower temperature.
When it comes to baking in the air fryer, it operates differently from a traditional oven. Like in air fryer banana cake, the air fryer relies on rapid air circulation and intense heat to cook, whereas the oven utilizes convection heat to circulate hot air and evenly distribute it inside the baking chamber. As a result, the cookie dough will not spread as effectively as in an oven, and needs to be flattened before cooking.
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Why this recipe works?
To attain a chewy texture and a crisp top, I use a combination of sugars, and melted butter instead of softened and lose the egg white.
Dark brown sugar adds moisture and a deep caramel flavor, making them chewy, whereas white sugar helps them crisp up. Also, adding more brown sugar than white enhances the chewiness, without being floppy.
Melting the butter makes its water content readily available to interact with the flour, creating more gluten and a chewier texture.
Losing the egg white makes the cookies less cakier and also improves chewiness. As the air fryer evaporates moisture from the cookie's tops, the remaining moisture is retained in the bottom, keeping it soft and chewy.
Ingredients
Scroll down to the recipe card below for full information on ingredients and amounts.
- All purpose flour - A relatively higher protein content of 10 to 12 percent adds structure like in chocolate shortbread cookies.
- Butter - Melted butter contains 16 to 18 percent water, which helps the sugars dissolve readily and aid in deep caramelization.
- Egg - I skip the egg white, use only the yolk for its richness, and create a soft texture without being cakey.
- Sugars - White sugar lends crispness, while dark-brown sugar enhances chewiness.
- Flavorings - Vanilla extract brings out the caramel notes, and salt enhances the sweetness.
- Baking soda - It helps them crisp and also aids in browning.
- Chocolate chips - I like to pack in more chocolate chips, like in a chocolate chip cookie mug cake, for the ultimate indulgence.
Tip: Separate your egg yolk from the white while they are still chilly from the fridge. Yolks are more taut and less apt to break when cold.
How to make?
You can find full printable recipe below, but here is a quick overview of the procedure along with step-by-step photos.
1.Add all-purpose flour, baking soda, and salt into a small bowl and whisk together to combine.
2. Add melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar into a medium bowl. Using an electric beater, beat on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy.
💡 Did you know? Brown sugar is more hygroscopic than white sugar, which means it attracts and retains moisture from the air.
Tip: Melt your butter in the microwave or stovetop, until it almost melts. Remove before it melts fully; If it melts fully and gets hot, let it cool for a few minutes before proceeding.
3. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla, until smooth and creamy, for about 30 seconds.
Pro tip: The dissolved sugar caramelizes more easily and helps to create a crisp top with chewy bottom.
4. Add the dry ingredients and ⅓ cup chocolate chips, and beat slowly until it looks crumbly.
5. Using a rubber spatula, stir the dough a few times to bring it together and then divide it into six equal portions.
6 & 7. Roll each portion into a ball, and place it on the parchment paper, spacing evenly.
8. Using the back of a measuring cup or your hand, flatten each ball into a flat disc, about ½ inch in height. Place more chocolate chips and sprinkle some salt on the top.
Holding two opposite corners, gently transfer the parchment paper into the air fryer basket. (The air fryer is not preheated for this recipe). Set the air fryer to 310°F for 13 minutes. Bake cookies for 12 to 13 minutes, or the tops look deep golden brown.
Pro tip: Go low and slow! Air frying at a lower temperature for a long time allows enough time for the cookies to cook all the way through, and the tops develop a deep golden color without getting burnt. It also gives enough time for caramelization.
Tip: Let the air fryer chocolate chip cookies cool slightly before picking them up, so they firm up and set.
Helpful tips
- Don't use hot butter. If the butter gets warm or hot, let it cool for a few minutes before proceeding.
- Flatten the cookie dough. The air fryer differs from an oven's ability to spread and bake cookie dough evenly, so it needs to be flattened before cooking.
- This recipe was tested in Instant Pot 6qt Vortex Air Fryer; cooking time may vary for other brands.
- If using a smaller air fryer, bake cookies in two batches.
- Use dark brown sugar. Light brown sugar can be used instead of dark, but the air fryer chocolate chip cookies won't be as fully flavored.
- Let the air fryer chocolate chip cookies cool slightly before picking them up, so they firm up and set.
Recipe FAQs
Parchment paper is commonly used in air fryers to prevent food from sticking to the basket and to make cleanup easier. However, it is important to note that the paper has to be used with food placed on it, to prevent the paper from lifting up and touching the heat element.
Generally, it is recommended to use a parchment paper with holes in it for better air circulation. To use regular parchemnt, cut it to size and make a some holes using a hole punch (more holes better the air circulation during cooking) or buy online.
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Air fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
Equipment
Ingredients
Dry ingredients
- ⅔ cup all purpose flour
- Less than ¼ teaspoon baking soda ⅛ teaspoon plus 1/16 teaspoon to be exact
- ⅛ teaspoon salt, plus more for topping
Wet ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup packed dark brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar, white
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional ingredients
Instructions
- Add all dry ingredients into a small bowl and whisk together to combine.
- Add melted butter, brown sugar, and white sugar into a medium bowl. Using an electric beater, beat on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy.Tip: Melt your butter in the microwave or stovetop, until it almost melts. Remove before it melts fully; If it melts fully and gets hot, let it cool for a few minutes before proceeding.
- Beat in egg yolk and vanilla, until smooth and creamy, for about 30 seconds.
- Add the dry ingredients and ⅓ cup chocolate chips, and beat slowly until it looks crumbly.
- Using a rubber spatula, stir the dough a few times to bring it together and then divide it into six equal portions. Roll each portion into a ball, and place it on the parchment paper, spacing evenly.
- Using the back of a measuring cup or your hand, flatten each ball into a flat disc, about ½ inch in height. Place more chocolate chips and sprinkle some salt on the top.Pro tip: The air fryer differs from an oven's ability to spread and bake cookie dough evenly, so it needs to be flattened before cooking.
- Holding two opposite corners, gently transfer the parchemnt paper into the air fryer basket. (The air fryer is not preheated for this recipe)
- Set the air fryer to 310°F for 13 minutes. Bake cookies for 12 to 13 minutes, or the tops look deep golden brown.Pro tip: Go low and slow! Air frying at a lower temperature for a long time allows enough time for the cookies to cook all the way through, and the tops develop a deep golden color without getting burnt. It also gives enough time for caramelization.
- They are outrageously delicious when warm! Tip: Let the air fryer chocolate chip cookies cool slightly before picking them up, so they firm up and set.
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information, based on third-party calculations, should be seen as estimates, not guarantees, as various factors like product types, brands, processing methods, and more can alter the nutritional content in recipes.
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