No, these aren't quite authentic, but the general idea is there. The Italians sometimes enjoy cookies--often simple and not too sweet--for breakfast with their coffees. These chocolate cookies certainly can be enjoyed with your coffee for breakfast, and they're also great for an afternoon snack. Like traditional Italian breakfast cookies, this chocolate version isn't terribly sweet, and it is simple. You can mix up the dough in minutes and bake a few cookies in about 10 minutes in your air fryer. The cookies aren't "health food," but with little saturated fat and some whole grains, they probably are better for you than scarfing down a doughnut or similar treat. How do the cookies taste? They are really good. They are a little crunchy on the outside and a little soft on the inside. The chocolate taste is there, and the cookies also have a hint of coffee in them thanks to a bit of espresso powder. I like to sprinkle the cookies with a little extra sugar before baking them, but the extra sugar and sweetness is optional and depends on your taste buds. Enjoy!
Air Fryer Chocolate Italian Breakfast Cookies -- Makes 12+
1 large egg
1/4 cup of sugar
1/4 cup of brown sugar
1/4 cup of canola oil
1/2 teaspoon of vanilla
1/4 teaspoon of salt
2 tablespoons of milk
1/2 cup of flour
1/2 cup of whole-wheat flour
1/2 cup of quick oats
1 1/2 teaspoons of baking powder
1/8 teaspoon of baking soda
1/4 cup of cocoa powder
1/4 tsp of espresso powder
Sugar to sprinkle, optional
Cut pieces of baking parchment to fit your air fryer basket and set the parchment paper aside. In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, sugars, oil, vanilla, salt, and milk. Stir in the flours, oats, baking powder, baking soda, cocoa powder, and espresso powder until blended. Let the dough sit for a few minutes, then stir it again and scoop up 1 1/2-2 tablespoons of dough and roll it into a log. Pinch the ends of your log slightly and squish the middle a bit, making a football- or torpedo-like shape. Place several dough footballs on a sheet of parchment, spacing them at least an inch apart. Sprinkle the tops of the footballs with a little sugar, if you'd like. Put the dough-topped piece of parchment in your air fryer basket, put the basket in the air fryer, and air fry the cookies at 320 degrees for 8-12 minutes or until puffed and just barely set. Remove the cookies from the air fryer basket to cool and repeat the cooking process with the remaining dough or make as many cookies as you want and refrigerate the remaining dough, well wrapped in plastic, to bake another day.
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