I knew I had to use my favorite premade chocolate chip cookie dough: Nestle Toll House, which I found at Target for about $7.

Thankfully, the premade dough meant less prep work and clean-up in the aftermath of the taste test.

I followed the instructions on the back of the tub, which said to preheat the oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit and spoon level tablespoon portions of chilled dough onto an ungreased baking sheet.

I took the easy route and used an ice cream scooper to make the perfect cookie shape. I spaced them out on the baking sheet and popped them in the oven. The whole process took about two minutes.

Though the instructions said to bake the cookies for 12 to 13 minutes, I left them in for 15 minutes to yield a crunchier cookie. 

I thought these looked absolutely perfect when I took them out of the oven — they were round, golden, warm, and gooey. I couldn't wait to try them.

Though I'd only ever made cookies in the oven, I was still shocked at how perfect these treats were.

They were soft and gooey on the inside with a crispy layer on the outside. The ratio of melted chocolate to the golden, crisp outer layer was heavenly. I loved how the edges were slightly crispier than the rest of the cookie. 

I'm a fan of flat, thinner chocolate chip cookies so this classic method of making the dessert didn't disappoint.

Right off the bat, I was frustrated that my air-fryer tray limited me to making only four cookies at a time. I think it's a wonderful appliance, but it's not always practical when it comes to making larger portions.

I scooped four smaller balls of cookie dough onto my tray, spacing them 2 inches apart from each other. Then, I placed them in the air fryer at 360 degrees (I decided to increase the temperature for the smaller appliance) for 10 minutes.

For all 10 minutes, I had my eyes glued to the air fryer. I'd never tried using this appliance to make a baked good so I was worried something would go awry.

The cookies didn't have as much room to expand on the air-fryer tray, so I could tell they wouldn't be as flat as the oven-baked ones. 

Luckily, when the 10 minutes were up, I realized I had nothing to worry about. The finished cookies looked chunky, golden, and ready to eat.

The air-fried cookies weren't as round and flat as the oven-baked version, but they were slightly chunkier, which I preferred. Like the cookies I made in the oven, these had a crispy outer layer.

Though I typically prefer flat, thin cookies, these chunkier, crispier, ones became my new favorite.

I had no idea where to start with the microwaved cookies. I was worried they'd undercook if I left them in for a shorter period of time, or burn if I microwaved them for too long.

I decided to microwave them in one-minute intervals to monitor their crispiness.

Within three minutes, the microwaved cookies became extremely flat and I was worried they would burn. Though they looked pale in comparison to the oven-baked and air-fried cookies, I took them out and let them cool for an hour. 

Out of the three batches, these were the least appetizing cookies to look at. They looked gooey, but not in a good way.

I definitely wouldn't recommend baking cookies in the microwave. Even after an hour of cooling, they still felt gooey and chewy, like undercooked dough. They lacked crispiness and warmth and had weird air pockets throughout.

As I ate, the cookies fell apart, but not in an appetizing, crumbly way.

I'd also be cautious trying this method, too, since I'm not sure how much these actually cooked, and I know you're not supposed to eat raw cookie dough. 

Though I've always loved using an oven to bake cookies, the air fryer made the crispiest chocolate chip treat. The golden-brown dessert stayed warm but crunchy with the perfect amount of melted chocolate.

Though the microwave method was the fastest, I hated the way the cookies turned out, making this the only method I wouldn't try again.

Next time I air-fry the treat, I'll try two cookies per tray to see if they form a more perfect shape. And I'd definitely add a scoop of cold vanilla ice cream to the final air-fried batch.

Click to check out the other appliances we've put head-to-head so far.

This story was originally published on September 21, 2023, and most recently updated on November 12, 2025.