Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
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These are the best air fryer chocolate chip cookies ever. They’re soft, chewy, quick, and easy to make!
Why You’ll Love These Small Batch Chocolate Chip Cookies
If you’re a cookie lover but don’t want to bake a huge batch, these small-batch air fryer chocolate chip cookies are exactly what you need. With soft centers, crisp edges, and melty chocolate chips, they’re absolutely irresistible.
Plus, these cookies are quick and easy to make. They’re perfect for when you want a freshly baked chocolatey cookie without turning on the oven.
What Makes These Cookies Special?
These cookies are made for the air fryer, which means they bake faster than in a traditional oven. They’re small-batch, so you can enjoy fresh cookies without making a huge batch of dough or having the air fryer or oven on for ages.
The dough comes together in minutes, and with just a little chilling, you’ll have soft, chewy cookies that taste like they’re fresh from the bakery, with the satisfaction that you made them yourself.
Equipment You’ll Need
To make these cookies, you’ll need:
- Air fryer or oven – Both work, but the air fryer bakes the cookies faster. I used a Tower 11L Air Fryer, it’s my favourite Air Fryer.
- Mixing bowls – For mixing and making the dough.
- Kitchen scales – For accurately halving the egg and weighing out the ingredients.
- Thick Baking paper – To line the air fryer basket/tray.
Tips for Perfect Small-Batch Cookies
- Chill the Dough: Chilling the dough for at least an hour helps the cookies hold their shape and develop a richer flavor.
- Secure the Baking Paper: Use small blobs of cookie dough or oven-safe clips to keep the baking paper in place in the air fryer. This prevents it from blowing around.
- Halve the Egg Accurately: To get the perfect texture, weigh the egg, then beat it and set half aside (it should be around 25g).
Ingredients for Small Batch Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
For the Cookies:
- 55 g unsalted butter, melted and cooled (¼ cup)
- 75 g light brown sugar (⅓ cup packed)
- 55 g granulated sugar (¼ cup)
- ½ an egg, lightly beaten and halved (about 25 g)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 90 g plain flour (¾ cup all-purpose flour)
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda (¼ tsp baking soda)
- ¼ tsp salt
- 100 g dark chocolate chips, plus extra for topping (½ cup)
- Optional: flaky sea salt to sprinkle on top
How to Make Small Batch Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
Step 1: Prepare the Dough
In a mixing bowl, combine the melted and cooled butter with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar, and whisk until smooth using a balloon whisk/hand whisk.
Add the halved egg and vanilla extract, then beat the mixture until it’s fully combined and smooth. For the best results, use kitchen scales to measure out half of the egg accurately.
Step 2: Add the Dry Ingredients
Add the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt, then fold them gently with a rubber spatula until just combined.
Fold in the dark chocolate chips, saving a few for the top of the cookies. Cover the dough with cling film/plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for at least an hour.
Step 3: Prepare the Air Fryer or Oven
Line your air fryer basket with thick baking paper – I like to use Bacofoil non-stick baking paper. If you’re using an air fryer, secure the paper with small blobs of cookie dough or oven-safe clips to keep it from blowing around. If you’re baking them in the oven, I would recommend using a large non-stick cookie sheet like this one.
Preheat the air fryer to 160°C (320°F) or the oven to 180C/(160C fan)/350F.
Step 4: Shape and Bake the Cookies
Scoop the chilled dough into small balls, about 1–1.5 tablespoons each (about 30g), and place them on the lined basket or onto your cookie sheet. Leave space between each cookie (about 2 inches minimum) to allow for spreading.
Air fry for 6–8 minutes, or bake in the oven for 8–10 minutes. The cookies are ready when the edges are crisp, the tops are golden, and the centers look puffy and underbaked – this is the secret to soft cookies. Make sure you don’t overbake them otherwise, they’ll turn hard and crispy.
While they’re still hot, carefully place a cookie cutter (a little larger than your cookies) over each cookie and circle around it multiple times pushing it into a perfect circle shape.
Optional: Sprinkle them with flaky sea salt if you like your cookies extra salty like I do.
Step 5: Cool and Enjoy
Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet or basket for several minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This allows them to set and prevents them from breaking.
Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
Why Use an Air Fryer for Cookies?
Air fryers are perfect for small-batch baking. They heat up quickly, bake cookies evenly, and save energy compared to traditional ovens.
Plus, the compact size of an air fryer ensures the cookies cook consistently, resulting in soft, chewy centers and crisp edges every time.
Tips for Success
- Don’t Skip Chilling: Chilled dough spreads less, giving you thicker, chewier cookies.
- Don’t Overbake: The cookies will continue to cook slightly as they cool, so take them out when the centers still look soft.
- Double the Recipe for More: If you want more cookies, double the recipe and bake in multiple batches.
Serving Suggestions
These cookies are best enjoyed warm, straight from the air fryer or oven. Pair them with a glass of milk, a scoop of vanilla ice cream, or your favorite hot beverage.
If you’re feeling extra indulgent, sandwich two cookies together with Nutella, peanut butter, frosting, or even ice cream for a decadent dessert.
Why You’ll Keep Coming Back to This Recipe
These small-batch air fryer chocolate chip cookies are perfect for satisfying your sweet tooth. Their soft, chewy texture and rich chocolate flavour make them impossible to resist.
Whether you’re baking for yourself or sharing with a loved one, this recipe is quick, easy, and sure to become a favourite.
Watch My Step-by-Step Video
Want to see how it’s done? Watch the step-by-step video on my Fitwaffle Kitchen YouTube channel or follow along on my Instagram @fitwafflekitchen and TikTok @fitwaffle for more holiday baking inspiration!
Want to try a different kind of cookie? Check out my Kinder Cookies, The’yre thick cookies with a layer of frosting over the top just like Crumbl Cookies. And If you don’t like thick cookies, my soft and chewy rainbow cookies are just like Subway cookies but better :-)
Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies
Ingredients
- 55 g unsalted butter melted and cooled (¼ cup)
- 75 g light brown sugar ⅓ cup packed
- 55 g granulated sugar ¼ cup
- ½ an egg lightly beaten and halved (about 25 g)
- ½ tsp vanilla extract
- 90 g plain flour ¾ cup all-purpose flour
- ¼ tsp bicarbonate of soda ¼ tsp baking soda
- ¼ tsp salt
- 100 g dark chocolate chips plus extra for topping (½ cup)
- Optional: flaky sea salt to sprinkle on top
Instructions
Step 1: Prepare the Dough
- In a mixing bowl, combine the melted and cooled butter with the light brown sugar and granulated sugar, and whisk until smooth using a balloon whisk/hand whisk.
- Add the halved egg and vanilla extract, then beat the mixture until it’s fully combined and smooth. For the best results, use kitchen scales to measure out half of the egg accurately.
Step 2: Add the Dry Ingredients
- Add the plain flour, bicarbonate of soda, and salt, then fold them gently with a rubber spatula until just combined.
- Fold in the dark chocolate chips, saving a few for the top of the cookies. Cover the dough with cling film/plastic wrap, and chill it in the fridge for at least an hour.
Step 3: Prepare the Air Fryer or Oven
- Line your air fryer basket with thick baking paper - I like to use Bacofoil non-stick baking paper. If you’re using an air fryer, secure the paper with small blobs of cookie dough or oven-safe clips to keep it from blowing around. If you're baking them in the oven, I would recommend using a large non-stick cookie sheet like this one.
- Preheat the air fryer to 160°C (320°F) or the oven to 180C/(160C fan)/350F.
Step 4: Shape and Bake the Cookies
- Scoop the chilled dough into small balls, about 1–1.5 tablespoons each (about 30g), and place them on the lined basket or onto your cookie sheet. Leave space between each cookie (about 2 inches minimum) to allow for spreading.
- Air fry for 6–8 minutes, or bake in the oven for 8–10 minutes. The cookies are ready when the edges are crisp, the tops are golden, and the centers look puffy and underbaked - this is the secret to soft cookies. Make sure you don't overbake them otherwise, they'll turn hard and crispy.
- While they're still hot, carefully place a cookie cutter (a little larger than your cookies) over each cookie and circle around it multiple times pushing it into a perfect circle shape.
- Optional: Sprinkle them with flaky sea salt if you like your cookies extra salty like I do.
Step 5: Cool and Enjoy
- Let the cookies cool on the cookie sheet or basket for several minutes before transferring them to a wire rack. This allows them to set and prevents them from breaking.
- Store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days.
these were the best chocolate chip cookies i have EVER made. i used all light brown sugar because it was all i had but it still worked perfectly and has a super lovely caramel taste. i’m currently recovering from a restrictive ed and making and eating these helped me to regain my love of baking. thank you !!! <3