Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies

These peanut butter cookies are crisp on the edges, soft in the middle, and baked right in your air fryer for a quick homemade treat. With that old-fashioned flavor and classic peanut butter taste, they're an easy favorite for holiday baking or weeknight desserts. You'll learn how to make cookies that come out golden and crunchy every time with minimal effort. Pin this recipe now so you can bake these simple Christmas cookies whenever the craving hits

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Why this is the best air fryer peanut butter cookie recipe

These are the perfect peanut butter cookie recipe for any family gathering! They are simple to make, have the perfect texture, and appeal to almost everyone, especially kids.

These air fryer cookies are easy to make. Create a quick cookie dough with a few ingredients, then scoop the dough into your air fryer basket and bake the cookies. That's it!

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The ingredients for this easy baking recipe are very common. You probably have most of the simple ingredients already in your pantry, and the remaining couple are available in almost every grocery store or on Amazon.

These easy air fryer peanut butter cookies taste amazing! Combine rich peanut butter with sweet sugars. These are going to be your new favorite Christmas cookies, and they're easy enough to bake all year long!

These cookies are the perfect size!  Each cookie is about two bites, and they hold their shape when you bite into them. No crumbly cookies here, just crispy edges and a chewy center.

What you'll need to make air fryer peanut butter cookies

Equipment

• Stand mixer - It is much easier to make cookie dough with some kind of a mixer. I typically use my handheld electric mixer.
• Air fryer - You need an air fryer to make air fryer cookies, right?
• Wire rack - I always recommend you use a wire rack to cool your cookies quickly and easily. If you don't move them to a wire rack, they will continue to cook inside, and you won't get the soft and chewy center that you are looking for.

Ingredients  

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See the printable recipe card at the bottom of the page for all measurements and nutritional information.

• Butter - It doesn't matter whether you use salted or unsalted butter. Either way, you want it to be room temperature, soft but not melted.
• Crunchy peanut butter - I recommend you use crunchy but you could substitute creamy with great results.
• White sugar - You will put sugar in the dough plus use extra to flatten the cookies.
• Brown sugar - When you measure brown sugar, you should aways pack it tightly in the measuring cup using your thumb or a spoon.
• Egg - You will use the entire egg in this recipe.
• All-purpose flour - Flour is what gives most cookies their structure. The butter and sugar are the first building block of cookie dough, but in most cases, you need to add flour too.
• Baking soda - This will make your cookies spread out into cookies (instead of dough balls), and it also helps them to brown.
• Baking powder - This helps the cookies to rise a bit.
• Salt - This also helps the cookies to rise, and it enhances the peanut butter flavor.

How to make easy peanut butter cookies in the air fryer

1. Preheat air fryer to 350ºF.
2. Mix the butter, peanut butter, sugar, brown sugar, and egg together.
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3. In a separate bowl, whisk together the flour, baking soda, baking powder, and salt.
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4. Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients. Mix.
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5. Shape dough into 2-inch balls and place them in the air fryer basket 3 inches apart. Dip a fork in sugar and press in a crisscross pattern on each ball.Pin
   
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6. Air fryer at 350ºF for 8 minutes or until golden brown. Immediately remove the cookies to a wire rack to cool.
   
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Substitutions & variations

This is a small-batch recipe. If you want to double or triple it, you can, but keep in mind that each batch takes 8 minutes to air fry.

If you have a peanut allergy, you can also make these air fryer cookies with almond butter, cashew butter, and sunflower seed butter.

If you have a gluten allergy, simply use your favorite cup-for-cup gluten-free baking mix at a 1:1 ratio, but watch the cooking times as different types of flour may bake more quickly or more slowly that AP flour.

Use vegan butter if needed.

You can press a small chocolate kiss, chocolate chips, or a square of dark chocolate to the tops of the cookies immediately after air frying.

Add chopped peanuts or crushed pretzels to the dough for extra texture and a salty contrast.

To make peanut butter thumbprint cookies, drop a half-teaspoon of strawberry or raspberry jam onto each cookie before air-frying.

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Storing leftovers

Make sure the cookies are completely cooled before storing so that they don't get soggy from condensation. Place cookies in between layers of parchment paper or waxed paper in an airtight container to prevent sticking and preserve texture. They will stay fresh up to 3 days, and then will start to get stale. They will get stale faster if you put them in the refrigerator, even in an airtight container.

These peanut butter cookies can be frozen before or after baking. Wrap individually or layer with parchment paper in a freezer-safe airtight container or freezer bag. When ready to serve, thaw at room temperature. They will stay fresh for up to 2 months.

Check out more delicious cookie recipes:

• Easy Shortbread Cookies
• Nutella Linzer Cookies
• Cherry Pie Cookies
• Easy Monster Cookies
• Apple Butter Thumbprint Cookies
• Brownie Mix Crinkle Cookies
• 25 Easy Christmas Cookies Recipes

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