When you need a quick and easy way to make cookies, your air fryer is the perfect solution. These Air Fryer Sugar Cookies are quick to make and even quicker to disappear. Make air fryer cookies once, and you will wonder why you made them any other way.
Making sugar cookies is a beloved tradition during the holiday season, but let's face it, they are delicious throughout the year.
We love Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies, and these Air Fryer Sugar Cookies are equally delicious.
You can make these delicious cookies in no time with just a few simple ingredients. So why not give them a try today? Your taste buds will thank you!
Ingredients for Making Air Fry Sugar Cookies
- Flour: I used all-purpose flour. If you want to substitute flours, you will need to do your testing. I think the recipe would work with gluten-free flour, but I have not tested it. (If you try it, let me know how it goes.)
- Baking powder: This helps the cookies to rise and become nice and fluffy.
- Salt: A little salt goes a long way in enhancing the flavor of the cookies.
- Butter: You'll need unsalted butter for this recipe. If you only have salted butter, omit the salt from the recipe.
- Sugar: Use any type of granulated sugar that you have on hand. White, brown, or raw sugar will all work great.
- Egg: The egg helps to bind the ingredients together and gives the cookies a nice texture.
- Vanilla extract: This gives the cookies a delicious flavor.
- Optional toppings: sprinkles, colored sugars
Tips & Tricks
- Preheat your air fryer: This step is essential! You'll want to preheat your air fryer before adding the cookies. This will help them cook evenly and prevent them from sticking to the basket.
- Use a cookie scoop: A cookie scoop is a great way to get uniform cookies that are all the same size. If you don't have a cookie scoop, you can use a spoon or your hands to form the dough into balls.
- Flatten the dough balls: Before adding the dough to the air fryer, flatten them with the bottom of a glass. This will help them cook evenly and prevent them from puffing up too much in the air fryer.
- Don't overcrowd the air fryer: It's important to leave enough space between the cookies so that hot air can circulate around them. If they are too close together, they will stick together and won't cook evenly.
- Let the cookies cool: Once they are done cooking, let them cool on a wire rack before serving. This will help them to firm up and become less fragile.
- Know your air fryer: This recipe will work in most basket and oven-style air fryers, but some models may have a fan that blows the cookies too much. If you struggle with this, make sure you preheat and don’t crowd the cookies.
- Use an air fryer liner: Line the air fryer basket with an air fryer liner to prevent sticking and make cleanup a breeze.
Frequently Asked Questions
Yes, you can! Simply bake the cookies in a preheated 350-degree F oven for 12-14 minutes, or until they are lightly golden brown.
No, you don't have to use an air fryer liner, but it does help to prevent sticking and makes cleanup a breeze.
Some other great options include chocolate chips, chopped nuts, or dried fruit.
Tools Needed to Make Sugar Cookies in the Air Fryer
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- Air Fryer
- Air Fryer Liners
- Stand Mixer or Hand Mixer
- Spatula
- Cookie Scoop
Storage
Store leftovers in a sealed container at room temperature for up to one week. If you prefer, place them on a plate and cover them with plastic wrap or foil.
You can freeze the sugar cookie dough or the cooked cookies for up to three months. I recommend placing them in the freezer on a parchment-lined baking sheet until they are frozen solid and then transferring them to a freezer-safe container.
You can thaw them in the refrigerator or at room temperature.
How to Make Air Fryer Sugar Cookies
First, start by preheating your air fryer to 325 degrees Fahrenheit.
Next, in a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking powder, and salt. Set this mixture aside.
In the bowl of a stand mixer, beat the butter until it is creamy. This should take about 1 minute. You can use a hand mixer and a large mixing bowl if you don't have a stand mixer.
With the mixer on medium speed, add the sugar to the butter and cream for 3 minutes until light and fluffy.
Add the egg and vanilla extract to the mixture and beat until combined.
With the mixer on low speed, slowly add the flour mixture to the wet ingredients until combined. Be careful not to overmix!
Use a cookie scoop (or your hands) to form the dough into balls. Then, use a cup to flatten the dough balls slightly.
Place the flattened dough balls in the air fryer basket, leaving enough space between them so that hot air can circulate and so they don’t spread into each other.
You will need to cook in small batches according to the size of your air fryer basket.
I recommend using an air fryer liner or parchment paper to avoid sticking.
Air fry the cookies at 325 degrees F for 9-11 minutes until they are lightly golden brown. (Total time will vary by air fryer model.) Once they are done cooking, remove them from the air fryer and let them cool on a wire rack.
More Cookie Recipes to Try
- Spritz Cookies with Jam
- Quinoa Cookies
- Butter Spritz Cookies
- Peanut Butter Blossoms
- Chocolate Spritz Cookies
Air Fryer Sugar Cookies
Equipment
- Air Fryer
Ingredients
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup unsalted butter at room temperature
- 1 cup granulated sugar
- 1 large egg at room temperature
- 1 ½ teaspoons vanilla extract
- Optional toppings: sprinkles colored sugars
Instructions
- Mix flour, baking powder, and salt in a medium bowl.
- Beat the butter in the bowl of a stand mixer until creamy, about 1 minute.
- Add the sugar, and beat on medium for 3 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- Add the egg and vanilla and beat on medium until combined.
- Place the flour mixture in the bowl and beat on low until just combined.
- You can refrigerate the dough for about an hour to prevent spreading.
- Roll into balls and flatten with the bottom of a glass.
- Sprinkle with garnishes if desired
- Preheat your air fryer to 325.
- Line your air fryer with a parchment liner, and add the cookies. They will spread, so make sure you give them enough room between them.
- Cook for 9 to 11 minutes until golden brown.
- Allow to cool slightly in the air fryer basket, then transfer to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Scarlet
These delicious sugar cookies were so easy in the air fryer. Nice way to be able to whip a few fresh cookies at any time!
Raquel
These were delicious in the air fryer - so easy too!
Miles
This is so easy to make! I love it!
Natalie
First time made cookies in an air fryer, they were great, thanks!
Paula
These were the best cookies and super quick in the airfryer
Kari
Why does the butter need to be unsalted?
Wendy Polisi
You use unsalted butter in baking for several reasons. The first is that the amount of salt in salted butter can vary from brand to brand. So using unsalted allows you to control the salt level. More important for this recipe is that salted butter has a higher water content than unsalted. So it can impact the overall texture of your cookies. I hope this helps.
Rhoda
My air fryer has an oven setting. Do I use it or air fry?
Wendy Polisi
If you use the oven setting, you will likely need to increase the time a little. But you could certainly use that. I cook this in my Ninja Air Fryer Oven, and use the air fry setting.