air fryer chocolate chip cookies

the best air fryer chocolate chip cookies – gooey, golden, and loaded with chocolate chips and chunks. made as one giant scoop-able cookie in a round pan, finished with sea salt flakes, and ready in minutes.

these are not your average air fryer chocolate chip cookies! yes, they’re quick, they’re easy and they come out absolutely perfect in the air fryer, but what makes this recipe different is the method. instead of rolling individual cookies and spacing them out on a tray, we’re placing the dough balls together in a round cake pan and baking it as one giant air fryer chocolate chip cookie. it puffs up, the edges go golden and crispy, the middle stays perfectly gooey and underdone, and then you scoop the cookie straight into bowls and serve with a scoop of ice cream on top.

this is the viral scoop cookie method, made entirely in the air fryer. it’s one of those recipes that looks completely over the top and maybe a little bit too much, but takes about thirty minutes and the results are absolutely worth it!

why you will love this giant air fryer chocolate chip cookie recipe

• one giant gooey cookie – pressing the dough balls into a pan together instead of baking individual cookies gives you a big air fryer chocolate chip cookie pie with crisp golden edges and a soft, underdone centre that you scoop into rather than slice. it’s the best possible texture!

• uses a mix of chocolate chips and chunks – using chocolate chips of different sizes as well as chopped chocolate pieces means that every spoonful of this air fryer chocolate chip cookie skillet is packed with chocolate! i love to use a mix of dark chocolate, milk chocolate and semi-sweet chocolate.

• small batch – i wanted to make these air fryer chocolate chip cookies small batch so that you could make just enough for two to four people in one pan, with no leftovers sitting around going stale.

learn how to make air fryer chocolate chip cookies

to make these homemade air fryer chocolate chip cookies in a scoop-able form, we’re going to start off by melting salted butter and whisking it with brown sugar and a little white sugar until smooth. then, add an egg, a little bit of milk and some vanilla extract or vanilla paste, and whisk until you get a smooth batter.

in another bowl, add flour, baking powder and baking soda and mix all of that together. add the dry ingredients to the wet batter, along with a mix of chocolate chips and chocolate chunks and gently fold everything in until you get a sticky chocolate chip cookie dough. place the cookie dough in the fridge for about 20 minutes so that it can firm up slightly.

once the dough is ready, split the chocolate chip cookie dough into equal-sized dough balls, and place these together in a lined round cake pan. place this in the air fryer until golden and crispy on top, then finish with some flaky salt and scoop straight from the pan!

what is a scoop cookie?

a scoop cookie (sometimes called a scoop-able cookie) is a viral cookie format where instead of baking individual cookies spaced apart, you press all the dough balls into a single pan and bake it together. the dough merges together into one big air fryer chocolate chip cake that’s intentionally left slightly underdone in the middle. it’s soft, gooey, and molten, so you can scoop it straight from the pan into bowls. it’s served warm, usually with ice cream, and it looks and tastes incredibly good considering how little effort it takes.

air fryer giant chocolate chip cookie ingredients

• butter – i prefer to use salted butter here. if you would prefer to use unsalted butter, i’d recommend adding around 1/4 tsp of salt to the dry ingredients. i decided to use melted butter for this air fryer chocolate chip cookie dough recipe instead of creaming the butter with the sugars. it gives you a chewier, more fudgy cookie than creamed butter would, and it means the cookie dough comes together really easily.

• brown sugar – the majority of the sugar in this air fryer chocolate chip cookies recipe is brown, which gives the cookie its depth of flavour, chewiness and that slightly caramelised taste. light or dark brown sugar both work, but i’m using light brown soft sugar.

• granulated sugar – just a small amount of granulated sugar is used alongside the light brown sugar. it helps the edges crisp up slightly while the middle stays gooey.

• egg – i’m using one large egg, at room temperature. this binds the dough and adds richness. a room temperature egg will also incorporate more smoothly into the melted butter.

• vanilla extract or vanilla paste – optional, but a little bit of it will add a nice, subtle vanilla flavour to your air fryer cookies.

• milk – i like to add a splash of whole milk or full fat milk to the dough when making these air fryer gooey chocolate chip cookies – i find that the milk adds some richness and makes the cookies extra soft and chewy.

• flour – we’ll be using plain flour or all purpose flour in this recipe.

• baking soda and baking powder – i use just a small amount of baking soda and baking powder when making these air fryer crispy chocolate chip cookies – just a small amount of each gives the cookie a little lift and helps the edges puff and go golden.

• chocolate chips – i like to use a mix of semi-sweet chocolate chips and milk chocolate chips, but you can use whatever you prefer.

• chocolate chunks – roughly chopped from a bar of good chocolate, or use chocolate chunk chips. these stay in bigger, more dramatic pieces and give you those glossy, melted puddles of chocolate throughout. i like to use dark chocolate here, but again, you can use whatever you like.

• chocolate buttons (optional) – i also like to add some larger chocolate buttons on top after removing the air fryer big chocolate chip cookie from the air fryer – this is just for extra texture and presentation and is completely optional.

• flaky salt (optional) – i like to sprinkle some flaky salt on top just before serving. this is the finishing touch that makes everything taste better and helps balance out the sweetness of the cookie.

tools:

• large mixing bowl – for the air fryer chocolate chip cookie dough

• medium sized bowl – for the dry ingredients

• whisk – for mixing the wet ingredients

• spoon or rubber spatula – to fold in the dry ingredients

• parchment paper or baking paper – to line your pan

• round cake pan/tin – a small round cake tin that fits inside your air fryer – i’m using an 8 inch pan.

• air fryer – any basket-style air fryer works, but i personally love to use the our place wonder oven for this!

step by step instructions

the full recipe for these air fryer chocolate chip cookies with measurements is on the recipe card at the bottom of the page – keep scrolling down for the full recipe.

step one: melt the butter and set aside to cool slightly.

step two: add the melted butter to a large mixing bowl, along with the light brown sugar and the granulated sugar.

step three: whisk together the butter and sugars until smooth and combined.

step four: add the egg, the milk and the vanilla extract and whisk again until the mixture is glossy and smooth.

step five: in another bowl, mix together flour, baking soda and baking powder. add this mixture to the wet batter.

step six: add the chocolate chips and chocolate chunks.

step seven: gently fold all of the dry ingredients into the wet batter until you get a soft and sticky chocolate chip cookie dough.

step eight: place the cookie dough in the fridge for about 20-30 minutes until it firms up slightly so that it’s easier to handle.

step nine: once the cookie dough is ready, remove it from the fridge. split the dough into 7 equal-sized dough balls.

step ten: line a small round cake pan with parchment paper or baking paper and preheat the air fryer for 5-10 minutes.

step eleven: add the cookie dough balls to the lined cake tin.

step twelve: air fry the scoop cookie about 15-17 minutes, until the edges are golden and crispy but the centre still looks slightly underdone and glossy. it will continue to cook a little as it sits, so don’t wait until it looks fully done, as you want that gooey centre.

step thirteen: remove from the air fryer and top with extra chocolate chips and chocolate buttons.

step fourteen: sprinkle flaky salt generously over the top.

step fifteen: let it cool for just a few minutes, then scoop straight from the pan into bowls, serve with vanilla ice cream and let’s eat!

air fryer chocolate chip cookies time and temp

the most common question for any kind of air fryer bake is usually what temperature and how long? to keep these air fryer chocolate chip cookies chewy and soft, i’d say that 160°c (320°f) for about 15 minutes is the sweet spot. this is lower and slower than you might expect, but that’s intentional, as a higher temperature would set the outside too fast and leave the inside raw rather than gooey. the lower temperature lets the whole cookie bake through gradually while still getting golden edges.

tips and notes

• if using unsalted butter instead of salted, add around 1/4 tsp of salt to the dry ingredients.

• make sure your egg is at room temperature. this will allow it to incorporate more smoothly into the dough. take it out of the fridge 15-20 minutes before you start.

• once you add the flour and dry ingredients to the chocolate chip cookie batter, gently mix until just combined with a spoon or rubber spatula to avoid over mixing the dough. over mixing can make your air fryer big chocolate chip cookie a bit more tough and less soft and chewy.

• to keep these air fryer chocolate chip cookies easy to make, i would really recommend chilling the dough in the fridge for around 20-30 minutes before separating it into dough balls. the chocolate chip cookie dough will initially be quite soft and sticky before chilling it, so placing the dough in the fridge will just help the cookie dough firm up and make it easier to handle.

• use a large cookie scoop or weigh out the cookie dough balls so that the cookie dough balls are similar in size. i split my cookie dough into 7 similar sized dough balls.

• if the cookie dough becomes too soft to handle while you’re working with it, just place it in the fridge again for a few minutes to firm it up a little.

• adjust baking time as needed. every air fryer runs slightly differently, so i’d recommend to start checking on your air fryer cookies at about 12 minutes and add time in one-minute increments if needed. the edges should be visibly golden and crispy before you take it out, and the middle will look underdone.

• don’t over bake when making chocolate chip cookies in an air fryer – this is the most important tip. the centre should look underdone when you take it out, quite gooey and soft. it firms up as it cools and if you wait until it looks fully set in the air fryer, the middle will be overdone by the time you eat it.

• feel free to increase the amount of salt in the cookie dough if you find that it’s too sweet. don’t reduce the sugar as this will impact the texture of the cookie.

• use a kitchen scale to measure your ingredients. while i add both metric and cup measurements for this recipe, i always recommend using a kitchen scale to weigh out your ingredients for most accurate results.

• if you do decide to use cups, bear in mind that this air fryer chocolate chip cookie dough recipe uses higher than typical flour measurements, as it takes into account the fact that most people tend to scoop their flour.

• when baking chocolate chip cookies in an air fryer, you want to let the cookies rest for just a few minutes before scooping. just 3-4 minutes out of the air fryer lets the edges firm up slightly so you get clean, satisfying scoops rather than a completely molten puddle.

frequently asked questions

1. are chocolate chip cookies good in the air fryer ?

   – yes, they genuinely are! they’re a bit more finicky in terms of time and temperature than when making cookies in an oven, but if you keep an eye on them, they actually turn out a lot nicer than most people might expect. the air fryer circulates heat evenly and efficiently, which gives you golden edges and a soft centre when cooking chocolate chip cookies in an air fryer without the uneven baking you sometimes get in a conventional oven. the scoop cookie method especially suits the air fryer because the contained pan stops the dough spreading and keeps everything gooey in the middle.

2. how long do cookies take in the air fryer ?

   – for this giant scoop cookie in a pan, i’d recommend around 15 minutes at 160°c or 320°f.

3. can i air fry chocolate chip cookie dough that’s pre-made from a shop instead of making the cookie dough ?

   – yes, both homemade dough and store-bought cookie dough will work when making these quick air fryer chocolate chip cookies. if you’re using store-bought dough, just start checking it at 10 minutes, as pre-made doughs can sometimes bake faster.

4. do i have to use vanilla extract when making these simple air fryer chocolate chip cookies ?

   – the vanilla extract in this easy air fryer chocolate chip cookies recipe is optional, but highly recommended. i like the subtle vanilla flavour it gives to the chocolate chip cookie dough but if you would prefer not to use it or don’t have it, that’s also completely fine.

5. can i make these air fryer chocolate chip cookies without brown sugar ?

   – honestly, the brown sugar helps make these the best air fryer chocolate chip cookies, as it helps keep them extra soft and chewy. however, if you don’t have brown sugar, you can substitute it with the same amount of granulated sugar. keep in mind that using all granulated sugar to make this cookie might result in a cookie that is less chewy, maybe even a little crispier and less caramelised in flavour. other than that, it should work just fine. for best results, use a combination of brown sugar and granulated sugar as stated. if you have molasses on hand, you could also add a small amount of that to granulated sugar to mimic the effect of brown sugar.

6. can i make these air fryer soft chocolate chip cookies without milk ?

   – the use of milk in this air fryer chocolate chip cookies recipe just helps to add some extra chewiness and richness to the cookies. however, it is also completely fine to omit the milk for the cookies if you don’t have it on hand or would rather not use it.

7. can i make use this recipe to make air fryer chocolate chip cookie bars ?

   – yes, you can! just follow the recipe as stated, and press the dough into a lined 8×8 inch square pan. bake the same way in the air fryer (maybe for slightly longer), and cut into bars once cooled slightly.

8. how long do you air fry chocolate chip cookies ? how do i know when they’re done ?

   – the edges of the giant cookie should be visibly golden and set and slightly crispy, and the centre should still look slightly underdone and soft. it will firm up as it rests out of the air fryer, so don’t wait until it looks fully cooked or you’ll lose that gooey centre. this took me about 15 minutes in the air fryer.

9. can i use this as an air fryer chocolate chip cookie recipe for one ?

   – this recipe makes a full pan of cookies, but if you’d like to make air fryer chocolate chip cookies for one instead of a whole pan, you can use this air fryer chocolate chip cookie single serving recipe – just follow the recipe as stated and then bake in the air fryer at 160°c or 320°f for around 15 minutes.

10. can i make these air fryer chocolate chip cookies without butter ?

    – using oil instead of butter in these cookies is definitely possible, but it just won’t provide the same rich flavour that butter gives to these air fryer cookies. it will also affect the texture and appearance of the cookies. i’d really recommend using butter for this recipe.

11. can i make these air fryer chocolate chip cookies without baking soda ?

    – i would highly recommend using a mix of baking soda and baking powder as stated, as both of these have an impact on the texture and appearance of these cookies.

12. can i make air fryer double chocolate chip cookies ?

    – you can! you can swap some of the flour for unsweetened cocoa powder for a double chocolate version.

13. CAN I make air fryer white chocolate chip cookies ?

    – YES, YOU CAN swap the dark and milk chocolate chips and chunks for white chocolate instead.

14. how do i store any leftovers ?

    – any leftovers can be stored covered at room temperature for up to 2 days, or in the fridge for up to 4 days. you can reheat the chocolate chip cookies in the air fryer at 160°c for 2-3 minutes to bring back that gooey texture.

recipe