Skip the Oven—This Is the Faster, Easier Way to Make Soft, Warm Cookies

I love my oven as much as the next holiday-baking enthusiast, but sometimes I don't need a whole sheet pan's worth of cookies or the full preheat experience that comes with it. Sometimes I just want a warm, gooey cookie (or three) without committing to days of leftovers.

That's why I've started to bake my cookies in an air fryer, and honestly, it might be the smartest baking shortcut I've adopted in years. It heats quickly, cooks evenly, and turns out beautifully browned, soft-centered cookies in almost half the time it takes in the oven. And if you're a small-batch baker—or someone who occasionally wants cookies just for yourself—it should become your new favorite kitchen ally, too.

Its compact size means you can bake exactly the number of cookies you want, exactly when you want them, with almost zero waiting.

If you've tried my 10-minute air-fryer chocolate chip cookies, you already know how well this works. If not, prepare to be converted.

Can You Air-Fry Any Cookie?

Before you start air-frying every dough in sight, it helps to know which cookies work best in the appliance. Most drop cookies translate delightfully to the air fryer—including chocolate chip, oatmeal, and snickerdoodles, to name a few. The environment is hotter and more concentrated than in a traditional oven due to its convection fan and compact size, which means you get faster browning, deeper flavor, and crisp-edged, soft-centered, and evenly golden cookies.

Just steer clear of super-delicate batters (tuiles, lace cookies) or anything that needs a lot of room to spread. Otherwise, the air fryer is surprisingly versatile.

The Big Three Air-Fryer Cookie Rules

1. Keep the temperature lower than you think. If you bake cookies in your air fryer at standard oven temps, they will burn—and fast. What's 350°F in an oven behaves more like 400°F in an air fryer, thanks to the intense, enclosed heat and constant airflow.

The sweet spot for most doughs is 325°F (160°C). Bake for 6 to 10 minutes, checking early because every machine runs a little differently.

2. Always line the basket. Air fryer baskets are full of little holes that soft cookie dough loves to seep into. If you skip the liner, your cookies will emerge firmly grafted onto the basket like edible tile grout.

Use parchment paper cut to fit or pre-made air-fryer liners. Then place at least a few dough balls around the outer edge to weigh the paper down—the fan is powerful enough to flap parchment upward and reshape your cookies.

3. Give your cookies some space. Air circulation is the whole point of an air fryer, so don't crowd the basket. I stick to four to six cookies per batch for even browning and predictable spreading. Overcrowding traps steam, leading to pale edges and underbaked centers.

The Takeaway

For apartment kitchens, dorms, RVs, vacation rentals, or just those "I need a cookie right now" moments, the air fryer is unbeatable. And the texture really is something special: crisp, brown, caramelized edges giving way to warm, gooey centers that stay molten. So the next time a cookie moment hits, skip the preheat, grab your favorite dough, and reach for the air fryer.