What do you do when you want fresh-baked cookies but don't want to heat up the oven or bake two dozen cookies? Go to the bakery is not the right answer! What you do is mix up a small batch of cookies--in this case oatmeal--and bake them two or three at a time in the air fryer. Yes, it works. Using the air fryer, you can turn out nicely browned cookies that are just as good (if not better) than if you used a regular oven. Plus, the air fryer lends itself to small batches, meaning you'll have a half dozen cookies around, not two dozen tempting you to eat them all before they go stale. The recipe I'm offering makes about a dozen cookies. I bake half a dozen and put the remainder of the dough in the refrigerator for later in the week. That way, I have fresh cookies when I want them but not so many as to be diet busters. The oatmeal cookies come out a bit crunchy on the edges and soft and squishy in the middle, which is how I like them. If you want crunchy cookies, leave them in the air fryer a little longer. These are simple cookies--not too sweet, lightly spiced with cinnamon and nutmeg, and full of oats and caramel. I use golden raisins in the cookies, which complement the caramel, but use regular raisins, dried cranberries or other dried fruit, nuts, chocolate chips, or nothing at all. The cookies are great with a cup of tea or glass of milk. And ice cream.
Air Fryer Oatmeal Cookies -- Makes about 12
1 egg
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of dark brown sugar
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of caramel extract (optional)
1 tablespoon of melted butter
1 tablespoon of canola oil
1 tablespoon of milk
1/4 cup of flour
1/4 teaspoon of salt
1/4 teaspoon of baking soda
1/2 teaspoon of baking powder
1/2 teaspoon of cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon of nutmeg
1 1/2 cups of oats (Old Fashioned)
2-3 tablespoons of golden raisins (optional)
In a bowl or 4-quart measure, mix the egg, sugars, vanilla, caramel extract, butter, oil, and milk. Stir in the flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Add the oats and raisins and mix until everything is combined. If the mixture seems a little moist, let it sit for 30-60 minutes (the oats will absorb some of the moisture, making for better cookies). Cut 4-5-inch squares of parchment paper and drop 1 1/2-inch balls of dough on the squares--2-3 per square. Flatten the balls a little with a damp palm. The cookies should be about 3/4-inch thick. Bake the cookies in the air fryer at 320 degrees for 10-15 minutes or until well browned but still soft in the middles. The cookies will firm up a bit on standing. Bake all the cookies, or as many as you want, refrigerating any remaining dough to bake later in the week. Yum, fresh cookies when you come home from school, work, or whatever on Friday!
