The Air Fryer is all the rage lately and there are some incredibly creative ways in which to use this handy kitchen appliance. But since it’s basically a smaller version of a standard convection oven, it suddenly dawned on me that making batches of my favorite cookies was something I needed to try out with my air fryer.

Enter my recipe for Freeze and Bake Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies! Curiosity got the best of me – could an air fryer really give my oven a run for its money when it comes to how I love my cookies to turn out? Soft and chewy with crispy outer edges – and yes, it certainly delivered!

I’m willing to go as far as to say that I may even prefer my Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies, especially because the cooking time is reduced substantially this way. Give it a try – you have nothing to lose! The best part, I give you directions on how to freeze the dough for later. Whenever you are in the mood for a freshly baked cookie, just grab a couple pre-frozen balls and pop them in the Air Fryer.

How to Make Freeze and Bake Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies

Preheat Air Fryer to 350°F. Cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy. Add in eggs and vanilla and beat until combined.
In a separate bowl, mix together flour, salt, and baking soda.
Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients and mix until just combined.
Mix in the chocolate chips.
Scoop dough into balls with a cookie scoop – for a smoother cookie, roll the scoop of dough between your hands.
If you’d like to make cookies right away, line the Air Fryer basket with a sheet of aluminum foil or parchment paper.
Place a few balls of dough, spread 1 inch apart into the basket. Bake for 5-6 minutes or until cookies are golden brown on top. (Please note, they will still be soft and chewy on the inside.)
Remove basket from fryer and allow cookies to cool for 3-5 minutes. Transfer cookies to a cooling rack to cool the rest of the way.
Cookie dough can be frozen in ready-to-bake servings as well. Scoop all of your cookie dough onto a sheet pan lined with parchment paper. No need to space the balls apart, just make sure they’re not touching.
Place the sheet pan in the freezer for about 1 hour or until dough balls are hard. Transfer balls to a labeled Ziploc bag. Store immediately in the freezer.
Frozen cookie dough balls can be transferred straight from the freezer to the Air Fryer. Bake at 350°F for about 6-7 minutes for frozen dough.

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HOW SHOULD I STORE AIR FRYER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?

You can either store these Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 1 week or you could freeze your cookies for longer storage.
Most cookies can be stored frozen for up to 3-4 weeks and these air fryer cookies are no exception. If you do opt to freeze your cookies, make sure that they completely cool prior to placing them in your freezer. You can store them in an airtight container or freeze them on a baking tray lined with parchment paper and then transfer them to a freezer-safe bag to save space.
Thaw your frozen cookies by allowing them to sit at room temperature. If you prefer to serve them warm then pop them in a preheated oven for 5-10 minutes or back into the air fryer for a minute or so.

CAN I MAKE MY COOKIE DOUGH AHEAD OF TIME?

Yes, you can! Making a batch of cookie dough in advance is a great way to save yourself time down the line.
You can either store your cookie dough in the refrigerator for 2-4 days when wrapped tightly in plastic wrap or you can freeze your cookie dough for 2 months. For this recipe, if you’re going to freeze your cookie dough, consider rolling your dough into balls since you’ll be able to bake the cookies in the air fryer straight from frozen!
If baking your cookie dough balls from frozen, you may need to increase the length of time by a minute or two.

HOW CAN I VARY THESE AIR FRYER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES?

Here are some fun ways to easily adapt your Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies:
If you are big on your chocolate, why not try making a batch of double chocolate chip cookies? Do so by adding ⅓ cup of unsweetened cocoa powder and reduce the quantity of all-purpose flour by the same amount. You could also add in some dark chocolate chips in addition to the milk chocolate chips.
Make pumpkin chocolate chip cookies for pumpkin season in your air fryer. This involves adding about 1 cup pumpkin puree (not pumpkin pie filling) to your cookie dough mixture with 1 teaspoon of cinnamon and some chopped nuts like walnuts.
Make your Air Fryer Chocolate Chip Cookies with white chocolate chips instead of milk chocolate for white chocolate chip cookies. Once baked, you could jazz up your cookies with a drizzling of melted chocolate.

TIPS FOR MAKING AIR FRYER CHOCOLATE CHIP COOKIES

Don’t overcrowd your air fryer basket with the cookie dough balls otherwise your cookies won’t bake evenly. Rather air fry them in batches.
The quantity of cookies can easily be increased by doubling the ingredients. This will obviously mean additional batch air frying but it’s so worth it, especially if catering for a party.
You don’t need to chill your cookie dough prior to baking for this recipe but if you prefer to do so then go right ahead – it’s not going to sabotage your yummy cookies in any way!
Using a cookie scoop will help you get uniform-looking cookies but you can also use a normal spoon if you don’t have a scoop.

Other Must-Try Air Fryer Recipes

Air Fryer Donut Bites
Air Fryer Buffalo Wings
Air Fryer Cheeseburgers