You Should Make Cookies In Your Air Fryer. Here's Why
The only thing better than cookies? Cookies that can be freshly baked in half the time. If you're craving something sweet and have some extra cookie dough on hand, the air fryer is your best friend. Insider reports that it's way faster than using a traditional oven, allowing you to bake cookies from frozen in only 10 minutes without any time wasted defrosting or preheating (five minutes if the dough is already room temp, according to The Kitchn).
As The Kitchn further elaborates, this is due to the way the heating mechanism in an air fryer works. Because the hot air circulates and does so at a lower overall temperature, it's able to cook food at a more efficient rate. That means that cookies made in an air fryer are not only ready a lot quicker than normal, they'll also have the perfect texture — golden and crispy on the outside, and soft and chewy on the inside. If that sounds like the type of cookie you want to eat, you'll definitely want to start popping them in the air fryer instead of the oven from now on.
Baking cookies in the air fryer is fast but not foolproof
Remember that unlike an oven, there's actually air blowing around in an air fryer. Therefore, if you're making peanut butter blossoms, or any type of cookie that has some sort of jam or chocolate plopped on top, it's bound to fly off, so just stick to cookies that have mix-ins, not toppings, The Kitchn says. The same goes for the parchment paper, especially the ones punched with holes, designed for the air fryer. Not only can the cookie dough drip through the holes, but Fabulessly Frugal explains (via YouTube) that the air moving the paper around can also result in your cookies sticking together in the process.
A layer of aluminum foil folded along the edges is the most effective alternative. Then, instead of baking the cookies at the typical 350 degrees Fahrenheit or higher, Fabulessly Frugal recommends 300 degrees. As the Kitchn explains, the heat comes from above, and you don't want the tops of the cookies to burn before the dough is cooked through. Keep these tips in mind, and you'll always be able to have cookies at a moment's notice.