Her fifth tome, Fitwaffle’s Easy Air Fryer (£22) hit the shelves on 27th February, its pages full of packed with 100 delicious recipes, all cooked using everyone’s kitchen obsession de jour: the air fryer. We were lucky to be granted a sneak peek – and these are the recipes that we’ll be cooking on repeat.
Recipes extracted from Fitwaffle’s Easy Airfryer by Eloise Head (Ebury Press, £22), Photography by Faith Mason.
Hot Honey Chicken Tenders
If you love a sweet and savoury combo like I do, these are for you. Crispy and juicy, coated in hot honey sauce, they’re irresistible. Perfect for a quick dinner or snack, and you can make them as spicy (or not spicy) as you like. 25 minutes
Ingredients
1 large egg
60g (2½ cups) cornflakes
300g (10.5oz) chicken mini fillets
3 tsp paprika
1 tsp cayenne pepper
Salt and pepper
For The Sauce:
60ml (4 tbsp) honey
4 tsp dark soy sauce (light is also fine)
2 garlic cloves, finely minced
3 tsp hot sauce (more or less to suit your spice level)
Method
Preheat the air fryer to 180C (350F).
Beat the egg well in a medium bowl.
Put the cornflakes into a food processor and process until roughly crushed. Alternatively, put them into a plastic bag and crush with a rolling pin. Pour into another medium bowl.
In a third medium bowl, coat the chicken fillets in the paprika, cayenne pepper and some salt and pepper, then coat them in the beaten egg, letting any excess drip off, then in the crushed cornflakes, making sure you pat really firmly on both sides of the chicken.
Transfer the coated chicken fillets to the air fryer rack or basket, making sure they’re not touching each other, and air fry for 10–12 minutes until the chicken is cooked through to at least 75C (167F) when tested with a meat thermometer.
For The Sauce:
In a small–medium bowl, mix together the honey, soy sauce, garlic and hot sauce until combined. You can microwave it for about 20 seconds to warm it up and help it come together.
Coat the chicken tenders in the sauce.
Serve with your sides of choice. I love to use coleslaw. Enjoy!
Pizza Pockets
Makes 3
These pizza pockets are such a fun and easy snack, like mini calzones. They’re super easy to make with just bread, egg and your favourite fillings. Ideal for when you fancy a pizza, but different, y’know. 15 minutes
Ingredients
3 slices of soft bread
1½ tbsp ready-made pizza sauce
30–40g (1.5oz) mozzarella, grated
6 slices of pepperoni, cut into pieces (or I use 1 mini Peperami stick, sliced)
1 small egg + 1 tsp milk or water, for the egg wash
Method
Preheat the air fryer to 180C (350F).
Cut the crusts off your bread (or feel free to keep them on if you prefer). Press down the middle of each slice of bread with your fingers or the back of a spoon so it’s flat; you should have a puffy border around the edge.
Dollop half a tablespoon of pizza sauce into the middle of each slice of bread and spread it out, avoiding the border, then add a third of the mozzarella and the pepperoni to each slice.
In a small bowl, beat the egg and milk or water together to make your egg wash and brush it over the border with a pastry brush. This is essential to make the bread stick together.
Fold the bread in half and press the edges together with your fingers. You can also press them down with the back of a fork to seal them. They should look like little parcels.
Brush more egg wash over the top of the bread, then air fry for 6–7 minutes until crisp and golden brown.
Peanut Butter Lava Cakes
Makes 2
A twist on the original lava cake – peanut butter lovers, this is for you. Think of it like a peanut butter cup, but in cake form, chocolatey on the outside and peanut buttery on the inside. Absolutely heavenly. 30 minutes + 20 minutes cooling
Special Equipment
Two 6cm x 6cm (2½in x 2½in) air fryer-safe ramekins
Ingredients
For The Ramekins:
1 tsp unsalted butter, melted
2 tsp cocoa powder
For The Lava Cakes:
50g (1.75oz) semi-sweet or dark chocolate, chopped
50g (1.75oz) unsalted butter, cubed
1 medium egg + 1 medium egg yolk
50g (6½ tbsp) icing (powdered) sugar + extra for dusting (optional)
30g (3½ tbsp) plain (all-purpose) flour
10g (4 tsp) cocoa powder
Pinch of salt
2 tbsp smooth and creamy peanut butter + extra, melted, for drizzling (optional)
For The Ramekins
Prep your ramekins by brushing them with the melted butter, then dusting them with cocoa powder, making sure it covers the inside of the ramekins, then tap out any excess.
For The Lava Cakes
Preheat the air fryer to 170C (340F).
In a small bowl, melt the chocolate and butter (see page 19), stirring regularly until it comes together, then set aside to cool for 10 minutes.
In a medium bowl, whisk together the egg, egg yolk and icing (powdered) sugar for a few minutes with an electric hand mixer until it thickens and turns light in colour.
Pour in the chocolate/butter mixture and stir until combined, then add the flour, cocoa powder and salt and stir until smooth. Scoop the batter into your 2 prepped ramekins, then dollop a tablespoon of peanut butter into each and press it in slightly so it’s covered.
Place the ramekins in the middle of your air fryer and bake for 10–13 minutes.
Carefully remove the ramekins from the air fryer (they will be very hot). The lava cakes should spring back when pressed gently. Leave to stand for 10 minutes.
Turn them out onto plates, dust with extra icing (powdered) sugar or drizzle with some melted peanut butter, if you wish, and serve straight away. Enjoy!
