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Air Fryer Gingerbread Cookies are delicious cookies for the holiday season! Add these easy gingerbread cookies to the top of your baking list.
This just might be the best gingerbread cookie recipe, ever. If you’re a fan of chewy cookies with the right amount of spices, these sweet treats are calling your name.
While making traditional cookies in the oven is common, this year you’ll be adding that sweet gingerbread cookie dough to your air fryer instead. (and trust me – once you see how much fun it is to cook chewy ginger cookies in the air fryer, you’ll be making even more cookie recipes this way!)
Looking for more air fryer Christmas recipes? Try air fryer reindeer chow, air fryer cranberry brie bites, homemade york peppermint patties, or these air fryer Christmas brownie mix cookies.
Add this baking project to your next baking day to make the best gingerbread cookies. Perfect for a cookie exchange.
This is also a great way to cook a few cookies at a time for portion control! It’s helpful around the holiday season to have the cookie dough ready to bake so that you can make fresh cookies at the drop of a hat.
Air fryer cookies are so fun! Try these air fryer peanut butter blossoms, air fryer white chocolate peppermint cookies, air fryer snowball cookies, or these air fryer thumbprint cookies.
Ingredients:
- All-purpose flour – the main ingredient that is used to make the cookie batter.
- Baking soda – adds texture and fluffiness.
- Ground cinnamon – the perfect addition for cinnamon flavor.
- Ground nutmeg – pairs well with cinnamon and ginger.
- Ground ginger – adds ginger flavor to these spicy gingerbread cookies.
- Salt – just a pinch.
- Butter – make sure that it’s softened to room temperature.
- Brown sugar – to add sweetness.
- Egg – the binding agent for the cookie dough.
- Molasses – like Grandma’s Molasses, adds sweetness and color.
- Vanilla-extract
How to make Gingerbread Cookies in Air Fryer
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl, then set the bowl aside.
- In a large bowl or stand mixer, add the butter and brown sugar. Beat together at medium speed. Add in the egg and molasses. Continue mixing on medium speed until well combined.
- Slowly, add in the flour mixture, and continue mixing until all ingredients are combined. Scrape the inside of the bowl if needed.
- Wrap and chill dough for about 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough about 1/4 inch in thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut into your favorite shapes.
- Place cookies in the air fryer basket, lined with parchment paper.
- Air fry at 350 degrees F, for about 8-10 minutes, until the dough is cooked.
- Allow cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes before removing them from the air fryer basket. Then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely. Frost and decorate as desired.
I make this recipe in my Cosori 5.8 qt. air fryer or 6.8 quart air fryer. Depending on your air fryer, size and wattages, cooking time may need to be adjusted 1-2 minutes.
Variations
- Orange zest or lemon zest is a great way to add flavor to the wet ingredients and dry ingredients.
- It may not be the traditional way to make delicious soft gingerbread cookies, but adding white chocolate chips or semi-sweet chocolate chips to these chewy gingerbread cookies can add a fun flavor.
- You can add powdered sugar on top or even make a simple icing as well. Cream cheese frosting or icing is never a bad idea, either.
How to serve
You have options when it comes to eating these cookies! Eating them slightly warm will keep the chewy and soft cookies that we all love and crave. However, if you’re a fan of a crisp cookie, let them cool completely before biting into them. They’ll harden a bit as they cool, and you’ll have good luck getting the crispy texture that you’re looking for.
How to store
Since this cookie recipe makes a large sized batch, you’ll have some leftovers possibly. Be sure to let the cookies cool down all the way, then wrap them in plastic wrap and store them in an airtight container. They don’t have to be kept in the fridge as room temperature is fine.
You can store them in the fridge if you’d like, but it’s not a must-do. If you want to freeze some for later, go for it! Just add them to a freezer bag or container, and store them in the freezer. This is the perfect way to save them for another day.
FAQs
If you’re worried about making a mess by adding the cookie dough to the air fryer, you can add foil to help with the cleanup. Parchment paper is another great option to use as well.
First off, both are yummy! But the biggest difference is that gingersnaps are crispy cookies while gingerbread cookies tend to be chewy. This doesn’t mean that you can’t get gingerbread cookies crispy, but that’s the main difference between the two cookie options.
As the days pass, the cookies are going to harden up. If you want to make them soft again, putting them in the microwave for a few seconds will soften them right back up!
If you want to make the cookie dough a day beforehand, just keep it stored in the fridge, covered and wrapped in plastic wrap. When you’re ready to bake the cookies, you can move the cookie dough out of the fridge and let it come to room temperature before adding it to the air fryer to bake.
More Air Fryer Dessert Recipes
- Air Fryer White Chocolate Chip Peppermint Cookies
- Air Fryer Monster Cookies
- Air Fryer Gingersnap Cookies
- Air Fryer Thumbprint Cookies
- Air Fryer Brownie Mix Cookies
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Gingerbread Cookies in the Air Fryer
Equipment
- 1 Air Fryer
- 1 Cookie cutter
- 1 Rolling Pin
Ingredients
- 2 3/4 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp ground cinnamon
- ½ tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp ground ginger
- ½ tsp salt
- 1/2 cup butter, softened
- 3/4 cup brown sugar
- 1 egg, large
- ⅓ cup molasses
- 1 teaspoon vanilla
Instructions
- In a medium bowl, combine the flour, baking soda, ginger, cinnamon, nutmeg, and salt in a bowl, then set the bowl aside.
- In a large bowl, or stand mixer, add the butter and sugar. Beat together at medium speed. Add in the egg, vanilla, and molasses. Continue mixing on medium speed until well combined.
- Slowly, add in the flour mixture, and continue mixing until all ingredients are combined. Scrape the inside of the bowl if needed.
- Wrap and chill dough for about 30 minutes.
- On a lightly floured surface, roll the dough about 1/4 inch in thickness. Use cookie cutters to cut into your favorite shapes.
- Place cookies in the air fryer basket, lined with parchment paper.
- Air fry at 350 degrees F for 8-10 minutes until dough is cooked.
- Allow cookies to cool for 2-3 minutes before removing from the air fryer basket. Then transfer cookies to a wire rack to cool completely.
Notes
Tips:
The great thing about these ginger molasses cookies is that you can use the cookie dough for making fun edible things! Grab some cookie cutters and make shapes besides gingerbread men, or even divide dough so that you can create gingerbread houses as well. Once you bake cookies, you can decorate the gingerbread people and use royal icing from a pastry bag and create an epic gingerbread man! (or decorate those gingerbread houses!)Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
