Cake Mix Air Fryer Gingerbread Cookies

It’s time for air fryer gingerbread cookies! This dessert is a must at Christmas time and now they can be baked perfectly in 3 minutes. We made a batch of cake mix gingerbread cookies and baked in a small batch, just a few at a time this way.

Ninja Foodi Gingerbread Cookies

You can use any brand you might have on your countertop to make these. Whether you have an AirWave, Cosori or multi cooker at home you’ll use the basket to “bake” to chewy perfection. If you use your Foodi just lower the lid that IS attached with the air crisp button.

Later on I just wanted a few as a treat and thought baking in an air fryer would be the perfect solution. It was so easy to make them as a small batch for just a few of us at a time so they were fresh.

Air Fryer Gingerbread Man Cookies

Yes you could make your favorite homemade cookie recipe too, but I am all about easy. That is why I have created and shared so many boxed cake mix recipes recently. You can do SO much with it beyond just cupcakes.

Whenever November rolls around I buy a bunch of spice cake mix so I can make things like this, 2 ingredient pumpkin muffins, gingerbread muffins, and all sorts of different cake mix cookies.

With all the leavening agents already in the box, all you need to do it dump everything in, mix and bake. We are going to use our hot air machine this time though. 😉

You can make homemade gingerbread dough if you’d like. Using cake mix makes things a bit easier and the prep faster so we’re going to go with that here. If you haven’t made a batch of air fryer cookies yet, there are so many possibilities. Chocolate chip is great too.

Ingredients for Gingerbread Cookies

In this case we are making it a bit of cheater style and starting the dry mix off with a box of Spice cake mix. That in itself has the leavening agent in it as well as the Fall seasonings so you need fewer ingredients overall.

To moisten the mix you are going to add some vegetable Oil or canola works, you want one that doesn’t have any flavor so it keeps the flavors rich.

Then to get that classic rich taste you need some Molasses. It is thick and will allow the cookie to stay moist and chewy.

And your Eggs should be near room temperature when added ideally, we prefer the rich flavor of organic free range varieties.

The only seasonings you need to really add t round things out is some ground cinnamon and ground ginger.

In order to make a firmer batter add some All purpose flour into the mix, and have some on hand to roll out the dough as well. If it is too sticky add a pinch more until it is easy to press cookie cutters into.

You could add gingerbread spice but it’s not necessary. It is handy to use parchment paper for rolling out. Cookie icing is used to decorate and a large mixing bowl for combining.

Use a rolling pin, gingerbread men cookie cutters, and cutting board is handy to have too. Of course you can just slice them into any shapes you like. Triangles with green squiggles on top can be abstract Christmas trees pretty easily. Transfer to a baking sheet and bake in batches, a few at a time.

How Long to Chill the Dough

It is important to wrap bowl in plastic wrap and chill in the fridge for a while before you roll out the dough. This dough will be very sticky and not as firm if you don’t. Results are best if you give it that hour to set.

Remember, the thinner you roll them out the crispier they will be and the less time they will need to cook. I like it chewy in the center so these are 1/4″-1/2″ inch thick and 3 minutes is perfect for that.

Yes you can use your own homemade recipe if you have one. I always go for the easiest way, and this is it for me.

No baking soda or baking powder needed, all that is in the dry ingredient cake mix box for you. Of course if you have a favorite family recipe then by all means, use that y’all. Now let’s talk about something you might be wondering about right about now. If you’re new to baking in air fryer you might question can you put parchment paper in an air fryer? We talk about that here.

Basically it is safe if used properly on the bottom of the basket and for these it is easier to lift them out and not get them to sink into the holes below if you use it.

Should Gingerbread Cookies be Soft or Crispy?

Depends on whom you ask. I like in between. The longer they are heated the crunchier they will become obviously. They’ll harden as they cool too so err on the side of less timing. Here are quick step by step directions. Below you can print the recipe card if you’d like to save it in your recipe folder.

How Long to Cook Gingerbread Cookies in Air Fryer

Once preheated appropriately for 5 minutes you are going to want to set inside, close drawer and cook for 3 minutes or until edges are cracking and stiffening up to the touch. Then remove the drawer and leave cookies in basket for 5 minutes to stiffen up before using spatula to lift out and on to a cooling rack. Allow to cool completely before icing.

This is the appearance you want them to have. The edges will begin to crack and stiffen up but the center is still a bit soft to the touch.

Try to let them sit for 5 minutes or so to stiffen up all over before removing them so they don’t break. A cooling rack like the one below is helpful if you are making multiple batches. As they cool they will stiffen up even more. A great treat to bring to a Christmas cookie exchange for sure, then let the kids decorate them.

I did them all, let them cool completely and then let my girls decorate as they wished. If you want to try another treat, this is how to make a pizookie in your air fryer too. This is a much easier way to make the dough vs. creaming the butter and brown sugar together, incorporating flour and doing all the things.

What do you use to decorate a gingerbread man?

There are tons of different colors when it comes to cookie icing. I recommend getting a few white ones to pipe the outside of each man, and colors to flood the inside.

I didn’t really like the black, it was quite liquidy and stained teeth quite a bit so I would avoid that color. You can also just get white and use it as “edible glue” to stick small candies all over it. We liked that method.

Can you save gingerbread dough?

You can! If you are having a big cookie day and want to prepare things ahead of time you can make this and keep it in the fridge. I would use it within 3 days of making it, or freeze for up to a month beforehand. Defrosting may change the texture of it just a tad, freezing may do this more than in the fridge so keep that in mind.