Desserts you NEED to try in an air fryer
When the word air fryer comes to mind, you probs wouldn’t immediately pair it with desserts…but you absolutely should.
This wonderful bit of kit can make everything from flapjacks to doughnuts and even a cheeky egg custard. Can we petition for the Great British Bake Off to include an air fryer challenge? I’ll DM Noel and Alison. But anyway, here are a few sweet treat ideas for you to try your hand at next…
Cheesecakes
Be it baked or basque, the air fryer will DELIVER. I’ve essentially made my oven redundant because you can’t beat the benefits here.
Firstly, the controlled environment eliminates the need for a water bath and ensures even cooking throughout. Secondly, you can easily adjust temperatures. So, if you’re taking on the basque cheesecake, you can crank up the heat with ease to get that beautiful caramelised top. Finally, unlike an oven, there’s less immediate heat loss if you open up the drawer for a sneaky peak. The air fryer will quickly return to your desired temp in no time.
In the iconic words of Lizzie McGuire, this is what dreams are made of x
Churros
Yep, you heard that right. You CAN make churros in an air fryer and they are truly amazing. Also, is there anything more alluring than a big, long, thick churro being dipped into saucy chocolate or a naughty bit of dulche de leche? Someone needs to dunk me in cold water right now tbh.
The benefits include less mess as you avoid oil splatters and a mass of washing up to contend with. Plus, the hot air circulation creates a goldenly crispy exterior, giving you that satisfying crunch without a build up of excess oil that you would typically associate with deep frying,
Cookies
I think cookies are best when they’ve just been baked, are a little bit warm, a little bit melty, and the air fryer is the perfect way to do it.
The perks of using an air fryer include up to half the cooking time, no need to preheat and ability to cook as little as you want without having to heat a full oven.
So, make a batch of cookie dough, store it in the freezer portioned out (it will keep for up to 3 months) and this can be your go-to supply for beautifully fresh baked cookies on those cold, wintery nights 🍪⛄ What more could you possibly want? Plus, there’s no waste, which I love.
I like to use chunks of dark chocolate in my cookies, but you could switch these out for nuts, white choc chips, hazelnut spread of whatever ya want!
Photography © Haarala Hamilton
Egg Custards
For me, nothing beats a slighty warm egg custard dusted with nutmeg and a cup of tea. It may be a fave of the older generations, but I’m working on bringing that baby back to the masses.
They cook in only 8-12 minutes in an air fryer and the beauty of it is, you can make a small batch and not worry about having to heat a full oven or painstakingly wait for the oven to pre-heat. You’ll be done and dusted in the time it takes to watch one episode of Four In A Bed. Lovely!
Brownies, blondies and more
Whether you’re team blondie or team brownie, you’ll leave team air fryer because I’m truly a convert.
Not only do you get to eat it much quicker, so you can satisfy those feral chocolate urges, but it’s also small batch friendly. Meaning you can make a portion for one if ya really want! I won’t judge what you class as one portion because I found out mine was fit for a family of four x
Another air fryer superpower is it’s ability to distribute heat evenly, meaning you won’t be left fighting over the gooey middle bits because it all cooks uniformly. The texture is consistent from edge to centre. Perrrrfect.
For more air fryer dessert inspo, you can buy my book, Poppy Cooks: The Actually Delicious Cookbook. Nothing like a blog post that ends with a bit of book plug…
Or if you want something a bit less air-fryer related but still full of mains, desserts and more, check out my first book, Poppy Cooks: The Food You Need.