These are the cookies to make when you're in a hurry and need/want a quick dessert. If you just want to have some nice, warm cookies in about 15 minutes, this recipe is the one you need, too. The cookies really do mix up in about 5 minutes and air fry in about 10 minutes. How do the cookies taste? They are a little crunchy on the edges and soft and chewy in the centers. With the cake mix I use (a cheap one from Aldi), the cookies also have a sandy texture on the edges. The walnuts provide a nice, slightly bitter contrast to the chocolate chunks which also feature in the cookies. You can use whatever type of chocolate (or chocolate chips) you like--dark, milk, or even white, if you'd like. I often use broken chocolate left from other projects--or, in this case, a couple of crunched up chocolate Santas (left from Christmas or purchased after). The cookies are great with milk or coffee or tea. They also make nice accompaniments to ice cream, pudding, or fresh fruit. Enjoy!
Chocolate-Walnut Cake Mix Cookies -- Makes 12+
1 1/2 cups of chocolate cake mix (about half a mix--save the rest for later)
1/4 cup of canola oil
1 large egg
1/2 cup of broken chocolate (1 1/2 - 2 ounces) or chocolate chips
1/2 cup of chopped or broken walnuts
Cut small pieces of baking parchment to fit your air fryer basket. Put the cake mix, oil, and egg in a medium bowl and stir them together until well mixed. Stir in the chocolate and walnuts until distributed throughout the dough. Drop two or three 1 1/2 tablespoon scoops of dough onto each piece of parchment, spacing the dough mounds at least an inch apart or as far apart as possible. Flatten the dough mounds slightly with your fingers (so they don't roll). Put one dough-topped sheet of parchment in your air fryer basket, put the basket in the air fryer, and air fry the dough at 320 degrees for about 10 minutes. The cookies will puff and will look barely set in the middle. Remove them from the air fryer basket to cool (they'll firm up as they stand) and repeat the cooking process with the remaining dough. Alternatively, bake part of the dough, wrap the remainder well in plastic wrap, and refrigerate it to bake another day.
