These Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies are seriously the BEST! Perfectly crispy on the outside yet with soft middle, not too sweet and with light crunch from walnuts, these are perfect when cookie craving strikes and the recipe makes just one batch of 6 cookies.
Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookie
After several not so satisfactory cookies, we created a chocolate chip cookie for dessert that was crisp yet soft middle, not-too-sweet and simply delicious. My favorite part is that, this recipe makes just one batch (6 cookies) which is perfect for a family without too many leftover cookies.
Why this recipe works?
This recipe was a challenging one. It took several tries to get to the result that I wished for - Room temperature or melted butter? Dark brown sugar or light brown sugar? All brown sugar or a mix? Proportion of brown sugar to regular sugar ratio?
Whole egg, only white or only yolk? Baking powder, baking soda or a combination of both? It is the perfect combination of melted butter, dark brown sugar, white sugar and egg yolk to make the perfect baked goodie.
Plus, there are no funny ingredients or chilling needed. Just a simple, straightforward, amazingly delicious recipe that turns out perfectly every single time!
How do you bake with an air fryer? Is that even a thing? Upon more google search, I came across a very detailed guide for air fryer baking and these chocolate chip were my first experiment - A huge success, well after many failures!
When I first started venturing into the air frying world, baking in the air fryer didn't seem like an option. But, it opened a whole new world of possibilities when I saw an air fryer cookie on instagram.
Can you put parchment paper in air fryer?
Yes but not when pre heating. Parchment paper can be used in the air fryer with food placed on it, this prevents the paper from lifting up and touching the heat element. So, NEVER ADD PARCHMENT PAPER WITHOUT ANY FOOD ON IT in an air fryer.
Can I use regular parchment paper in air fryer?
It depends. Generally, it is recommended to use a parchment paper with holes in it for better air circulation. You can cut parchment paper to size and make a some holes using a hole punch (more holes better the air circulation during cooking) or buy online.
We used regular parchment (without any holes) for this recipe and we loved the crisp edges with soft inside.
Why didn't my cookies flatten?
Since an air fryer works differently from oven, the hot air does not spread the cookie when baking. So, the dough needs to be flattened before baking. Another reason could be that there you accidentally measured too much of flour.
How to make soft cookies?
The key to the best soft cookies is to take the them out of the air fryer just before they look like they’re done baking. The residual heat from the basket will finish cooking the cookies through to soft perfection once you allow them to cool completely. Try this oat flour cookies.
Also, egg yolk is a key ingredient in making them soft. be sure to measure your flour correctly. Too much flour will lead to dry, dense, or crumbly cookies.
Pro Tips for Success
Don't use hot butter. If the butter gets warm/hot, then let cool for a few minutes before using. Hot butter does not help in creaming.
Flatten the cookie dough. The air fryer does not work like oven in spreading the cookie dough when baking,
You can either use regular parchment paper or the ones with holes.
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.
Key ingredients:
Melted butter - Melted lukewarm unsalted butter
Sugars - Golden brown sugar and regular sugar
Egg - Only yolk
Standard cookie ingredients - All purpose flour, Baking soda, semi sweet chocolate chips, vanilla extract and sea salt.
How to make?
First, melt butter just until melted and lukewarm. Beat melted butter and both sugars for about a minute or two, until creamy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla extract and then followed by flour, baking soda and salt.
Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts, divide dough into 6 equal portions and roll each into a ball. Place balls in a parchment paper and flatten each to a thick disc. Bake in a 350 degree air fryer for 6 to 8 minutes.
How to store?
Store at room temperature in a sealed container for up to 5 days. The crispness tends to fade away after a day and turn the cookie soft, but the taste remains the same.
How to freeze?
This recipe makes a small batch of 6 cookies, so we hardly have any leftover. However, if you to save some for a rainy day, then they can be frozen for up to 2 months. Simply thaw at room temperature for a few hours.
More Air Fryer Desserts to try -
- Pudding in air fryer
- Air fryer lava cake
- No Flour Apple Crisp
- Fried Apple Donuts
- Air Fryer Baked Apples
- Air Fry Banana Cake
Air fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
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 plus 1 pinch salt divided
Wet ingredients
- 4 tablespoons unsalted butter
- ⅓ cup packed golden brown sugar
- 2 tablespoons sugar
- 1 egg yolk
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Additional ingredients
- ⅓ cup semi sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup chopped walnuts
Equipments used
Instructions
- Add all dry ingredients (except one pinch salt) into a small bowl and whisk together to combine, set aside.
- Melt butter (in the microwave or stovetop), just until ALMOST melted (remove before it melts fully, you just want most of it melted). If it melts fully and gets warm/hot, then let cool for a few minutes before proceeding).
- Add melted butter, brown sugar and sugar into a medium bowl. Using an electric beater, beat on high speed for 1 to 2 minutes, until creamy. Beat in egg yolk and vanilla, until smooth and creamy (just 30 seconds).
- Add the whisked dry ingredients and beat on low speed, until it looks crumbly.
- Add chocolate chips and walnuts and beat on medium speed for few seconds to combine (the beater might begin to struggle, that is a good indication to stop mixing).
- Cut a piece of parchment paper to fit the inside of your air fryer basket (or use store bought air fryer parchment paper).
- Divide cookie dough into 6 equal portions, gently roll each into a ball (the dough will not stick, if rolled gently) and place on the prepared parchment paper, spacing evenly.
- Using the back of a measuring cup or your hand, flatten each ball into a flat disc (about 2 ½ inches diameter). Adjust the edges to make a neater looking circle (this step is optional). Make sure that there is at least ½-inch gap in between cookies.
- Sprinkle remaining pinch of salt, evenly on the cookies.
- Bake cookies at 350°F for 6 to 8 minutes (the time will depend on the type of air fryer used. I used Instant Pot vortex 6 quart air fryer, and it took 8 minutes).
- The cookies will be very soft when hot but will crisp and firm up as it cools (we love them when they are still warm with gooey bits of chocolate and cookie is crisp and soft at the same time).
Notes
Nutrition
Nutritional information is based on third party calculations, should be considered estimates and not be construed as a guarantee. Varying factors such as product types, brands purchased, produce, the way ingredients are processed and more change the nutritional information in any recipe.
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