Why It Works
- Using melted butter and brown sugar creates a dough that mixes quickly by hand and bakes into chewy, deeply flavored cookies.
- A brief refrigeration rest firms and thickens the dough, making it easier to shape and helping the cookies bake with soft centers and crisp edges.
Every holiday season, my house turns into a baking bonanza. There are cookie swaps, panettone experiments, elaborate cookie-decorating afternoons with my kids. I love it all, truly. But sometimes I want a cookie moment that’s just for me. Not a whole tray destined for a party, not a batch big enough to share with neighbors. I just want warm, gooey, fresh-from-the-oven chocolate chip cookies that I can make and eat on my own amidst the busy holiday rush. That’s how this small-batch air-fryer cookie recipe was born.
Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine
If you’ve somehow avoided the air-fryer craze until now, let me be the one to gently nudge you toward the light. We know it’s great for crisping potatoes, roasting salmon, and cooking Brussels sprouts, but it’s also great for baking. Cookies might be where the air fryer shines brightest. It heats quickly, excels at small-batch cooking, and creates a crisp-edged, soft-centered cookie in almost half the time it takes the oven. The circulating air gives the exterior a gorgeous golden brown color while preserving the molten-chocolate center we’re all chasing.
This recipe makes six small irresistibly chewy cookies—just enough to satisfy the immediate need and leave you with a few extras to enjoy later, without saddling you with a week’s worth of leftovers. There’s no fussy equipment involved, no stand mixer, no creaming butter. Everything comes together with a whisk and two bowls. Rather than using granulated sugar or a combination of sugars, I rely solely on brown sugar for caramelized flavor and softness, melted butter for effortless mixing, and one egg yolk for richness and chew. After a quick 5- to 10-minute chill in the refrigerator, the dough firms up just enough to shape into perfect little rounds.
Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine
Because every air fryer runs a bit differently, baking times may vary, but I found that 325°F (160°C) for 6 to 10 minutes yields consistently great results. The only real trick is lining the basket with parchment and placing the dough balls toward the perimeter to weigh it down—otherwise, the fan may flap the paper upward and deform your cookies. And don’t skip the parchment, there’s the risk that the soft dough will bake into the small holes in the air-fryer basket, making the cookies impossible to lift out without breaking into tiny pieces (and causing a mess in the basket).
The end result is a tiny batch of warm, melty, deeply satisfying chocolate chip cookies that you still don’t have to share with a single soul. Bah-humbug to sharing.
Serious Eats / Maureen Celestine
