Oatmeal cookies are among the cookies that smell of childhood: butter, sugar and oats that turn golden at the edges – and not much else. My recipe for oatmeal cookies in the air fryer is the completely classic Danish one with no chocolate, raisins or other filling, stirred together from oats, butter, sugar, egg, a little plain flour and a touch of baking powder. They bake at 160 °C with only 5 in the basket at a time, which suits a cookie that spreads out and needs room around it.
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The most important thing is to take them out while the centre is still a little soft. They may not look done, but that is exactly the point: the crispness only comes once they have cooled on the wire rack.
Estimated reading time: 4 minutes
Table of Contents
Why I love oatmeal cookies in the air fryer
I love this recipe because it is so simple: the dough is stirred together with a wooden spoon, and you do not need to get out the hand mixer or wait for the dough to rest. When there is no filling, it is the butter and the oats that carry the flavour. I use fine-rolled oats, and an egg binds the dough together. So this is not Anzac biscuits with coconut and syrup, but the Danish oatmeal cookie that many people know from the cookie tin.
The difference between an air fryer and an oven
In the oven you can bake a whole tray at a time, while the air fryer needs several batches – here 4 batches of 5 cookies, each for 8 minutes. On the other hand, the air fryer heats up quickly, so you avoid heating a large oven for the sake of 20 cookies, and the powerful hot air gives golden edges in a short time.
My kitchen test of oatmeal cookies
I have baked the oatmeal cookies in my Cosori Dual Blaze at 160 °C fan, and 8 minutes per batch is the sweet spot: the edges are golden, while the centre still gives a little. The model has one basket with heating elements both above and below, so the top and bottom bake evenly, even though the cookies sit on baking paper. The dough balls of about 23 g spread out to around 7 cm in diameter, so 5 cookies with about 4 cm between them is what there is room for in the basket.
Air fryers bake differently, so I keep an eye on them from 6 minutes in the first batch. Later batches can be done 1 minute sooner, because the basket is already fully heated. The baking itself takes 32 minutes spread over 4 batches, and with 15 minutes of preparation and 15 minutes of cooling you end up at 62 minutes in total. In a large basket like the one in the Philips XXL there may be room for more at a time, as long as the spacing is kept.
Only put the baking paper in the basket when the cookies are about to go in. During preheating, loose paper can blow up into the heating element – with the dough balls on top, it stays put.
Tips and tricks from the author: Morten Jensen
The typical mistakes and how to avoid them
The most common mistake is putting too many in the basket. The cookies spread out during baking, and if they are too close together they bake together – so stick to no more than 5 at a time with plenty of space, and let the baking paper cover only the bottom of the basket so that the hot air can circulate along the sides. The next mistake is baking them until they feel firm. Then they turn hard instead of crisp; take them out after 8 minutes, when the edges are golden and the centre is still a little soft. The third mistake is moving them too early. Hot oatmeal cookies are fragile, so let them settle on the baking paper for 2 minutes, and then carefully lift them onto a wire rack with a palette knife.
How to serve oatmeal cookies
The oatmeal cookies taste best when they are completely cold and crisp. Here are my suggestions for serving:
- With a cup of coffee or tea in the afternoon
- With a glass of cold milk for the children
- Crushed over vanilla ice cream as a crisp topping
- In a nice tin as a homemade hostess gift
Storage and reheating
Store the cooled cookies in an airtight tin at room temperature, where they keep for up to 2 weeks. They do not need to be reheated, but if they have gone soft, you can make them crisp again in the air fryer at 150 °C for 2-3 minutes. You can also freeze them for up to 3 months in an airtight container; let them thaw at room temperature for about 30 minutes.
Oatmeal cookies in the air fryer are easy everyday baking with few ingredients and a result that is hard to keep your fingers off. Remember the spacing in the basket, and take them out while they are soft – then the wire rack does the rest.
FAQ
That is how it should be. The cookies are taken out while the centre is still a little soft, and they only turn crisp once they have cooled completely on the wire rack for about 15 minutes.
No more than 5 at a time with about 4 cm between them, because they spread out to about 7 cm in diameter. If you have a small air fryer, bake 4 at a time in 5 batches.
Use coarse-rolled oats if you want more bite, or replace half of the sugar with soft brown sugar for a more caramel-like flavour. You can also stir 1 tsp vanilla sugar into the dough for a rounder flavour.
Recipe
Oatmeal cookies in the Air Fryer
Cooking Guide
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Airfryer size
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Recommended equipment
- 1 Air fryer
- 1 Kitchen scale
- 1 Mixing bowl
- 1 Bowl - For the dry ingredients
- 1 Wooden spoon
- 1 Parchment paper (for air fryer) - Cut to size so that it covers the bottom of the basket
- 1 Offset spatula
- 1 Cooling rack
Shopping list
Ingredients
How to make it
Preparation
- Add 100 g butter and 100 g sugar to a mixing bowl. The butter should be soft. Stir it together with a wooden spoon until the mixture is creamy and smooth.
- Add 1 pcs egg and stir until the egg is fully mixed into the butter mixture.
- Fold the oat mixture into the butter mixture and stir only until the dough just comes together. The dough should be soft, but firm enough to shape.
- Shape the dough into 20 balls the size of a walnut, about 23 g each. Gently press each ball flat between your palms so that it is about 1 cm thick.
Cooking in the air fryer
- Preheat the air fryer to 160 °C fan. Do not add the baking paper until the cookies are ready to go in – loose paper can blow up into the heating element.
- Bake the cookies at 160 °C for 8 minutes, until the edges are golden. The centre should still be a little soft when you take them out.
- Pull out the basket and let the cookies settle on the baking paper for 2 minutes, as they are fragile while hot. Then carefully transfer them to a wire rack with a palette knife.
- Repeat with the rest of the dough in 3 more batches of 5 cookies at a time, each batch at 160 °C for 8 minutes. The baking paper can be reused.
Serving
- Let the cookies cool completely on the wire rack for about 15 minutes. They only turn crisp once they have cooled.
- Serve the oatmeal cookies with coffee or tea once they are completely cold and crisp.
Our notes for the recipe
Take the cookies out while the centre is still a little soft – they turn crisp as they cool on the wire rack. Air fryers bake differently, so keep an eye on them from 6 minutes in the first batch. Later batches can be done 1 minute sooner because the basket is already fully heated. If the dough is too sticky to shape, chill it in the fridge for 15 minutes, or shape the balls with slightly dampened hands. Spacing in the basket:
The cookies spread out to about 7 cm in diameter. Therefore place no more than 5 in the basket at a time with plenty of space between them, otherwise they will bake together. The baking paper should only cover the bottom of the basket so that the hot air can circulate along the sides. Variation:
Use coarse-rolled oats if you want more bite, or replace half of the sugar with soft brown sugar for a more caramel-like flavour. 1 tsp vanilla sugar in the dough gives a rounder flavour without changing the classic cookie. Serving:
Serve the cookies with coffee, tea or a glass of cold milk. The recipe makes about 20 cookies, which is 5 per serving. Portion size:
If you have a small air fryer, bake 4 cookies at a time in 5 batches. In a large air fryer or a model with two baskets, more can fit at a time.
Your notes for the recipe
Nutrition per serving (Guideline)
Important about shelf life and nutrition
Nutrition per serving (guideline): Calculations are based on data from the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA). Shelf life (guideline): Shelf life data is provided, as far as possible, by public institutions, including national food authorities. Our information is therefore only indicative, and it is your responsibility to obtain and calculate accurate information about shelf life and nutrition for all recipes on airfryerkogebogen.dk
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