Delicious Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies

Peanut butter cookies are one of those childhood favorites, am I right? That crunchy, sweet peanut butter flavor is reminiscent of sitting at my desk at school, enjoying a cookie or two for dessert at lunchtime.

Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookies offer that classic peanut butter cookie flavor with the perfect baking option to make a few or make a lot, and they come together in a snap. 

This post may contain affiliate links. If you make a purchase after clicking a link, I may earn a small commission AT NO COST TO YOU. As an Amazon Affiliate, I earn from qualifying purchases.

Delicious and Easy Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

Why You’ll Love this Air Fryer Peanut Butter Cookie Recipe

What’s so great about these cookies? Well, personally, I love this recipe because you can make just a few cookies when you want them for a fresh and tasty snack whenever you want.
Also, you can easily scale the recipe up to make as many cookies as you want with that gorgeous nutty flavor.
If you are making these in the summer this is the perfect option for hot fresh cookies without having to kick on your oven and heat up the house! 

The Groceries You’ll Need

• 1 Cup Creamy Peanut Butter
• ¾ Cup Sugar
• 1 Large Egg 

How to Make 3 Ingredient Peanut Butter Cookies in the Air Fryer

• Combine all three ingredients in a medium mixing bowl. Mix until fully combined.
• Using a 1 ½-inch cookie scoop, or heaping tablespoon, scoop the dough onto parchment lined baking sheets or cutting board.
• Using a fork, press the cookie flat, first in one direction, then again in the opposite direction to make that iconic crosshatch pattern on top. 
• Chill in the fridge to allow the dough to solidify a bit as it is very sticky to work with.
• Transfer the cookies onto your Air Fryer Parchment Liners, or parchment paper that you have cut to fit inside your air fryer.

Cook’s Tip: Greasing your cookie scoop or spoon can help improve the working ability with the cookie dough.  

• Place as many cookies in your air fryer that will fit, while giving each cookie a half-inch space. Keep in mind that peanut butter cookies do not expand the te level other cookies do so this is plenty of space for airflow. Most air fryers can fit 4-6 cookies depending on the size and shape of your basket. 
• Set your air fryer at 370 degrees and cook them for 4 minutes before letting them rest in the air fryer for 4 minutes to finish up the cooking process without burning them by overcooking for 8 minutes.

A fully detailed and printable recipe is available at the bottom of this post for you.

Tips and Tricks for Making this Cookie Recipe Perfect

• In the recipe directions, you’ll see a step that includes chilling the cookies before air frying. It’s important that you do not skip the chilling step! Air frying cookies make them spread out more than baking them in the oven. So, the chilling step prevents them from spreading too much.
• The resting time after cooking in the air fryer basket is essential. You don’t want to try and move them at this point because they’ll fall apart. They need time to set up.
• Each air fryer is a different shape. The basket on my air fryer allowed for 4-6 cookies at a time, but your basket (or tray) shape might not allow that many, or it may allow for more. Just be sure to give enough space for the cookies to spread a bit and you’ll be good to go.
• Each air fryer has various cooking settings. If your air fryer doesn’t have a 370-degree
  setting, choose the closest step under it as opposed to over it.

Suggestions for Putting a Twist on the Recipe

These air fryer cookies are a dream when you’re talking versatility! With just a few different swaps or additions, you have a completely new flavor profile.

You can easily add candy or peanut butter chips to bring the sweetness up a notch and have some fun with it. These work particularly well with reeses pieces because the candy shell will keep the candy from melting into the cookie. 

Amp up the peanut flavor by adding halved peanuts, chopped peanuts, or even other chopped nuts like almonds, hazelnuts, walnuts, or pecans.

You can create peanut butter chocolate chip cookies with a cup of your favorite chocolate baking chips for a fun twist that makes for the perfect unique cookie for the cookie exchange. 

Try adding a handful of oats to the dough for a peanut butter oatmeal cookie that can be a lot of fun for a special on-the-go morning treat. 

Swap the sugar for your favorite granulated alternative sweetener that you like to use for baking. This works great for diabetics that need a sugar-free option to enjoy cookies.

What Goes With These Cookies?

 Serve these in the most classic way ever – with a large glass of ice-cold milk for an afternoon snack. Try adding them to a cookie platter for a fun option for the dessert table or cookie exchange. Other easy cookie recipes you could add to that cookie platter could be these 4 Ingredient Chocolate Chunk Cookies and these delicious Butter Caramel Toffee Cookies.

Also, crumbling them up slightly and adding them to top off a dessert as I did with this Easy Banana Bread parfait. Or, layering them like I did for this No Bake Cookie Cake trifle idea is a delicious, easy dessert.

Storing The Extras

Store your leftover air fryer cookies in an air-tight container to keep them fresher, for longer. If you make more dough than you will be needing you can easily place this dough in your freezer for use later on.

I recommend shaping before flash freezing on a parchment-lined baking sheet, then when frozen storing them in an air-tight freezer bad. That way you can simply grab out a few cookies, then bake them when you want them. 

Questions You Might Have

Let me know how you switched up this recipe! I’d love to hear about it! Please leave a comment below or email me directly at Joanne@thesaltypot.com. Have a great day!