More complex desserts, like apple pie and cannoli shells, are also easy to make in an air fryer.

Air fryers are known for their ability to give savory food a satisfying crunch without excess oil, but the trendy appliance is also capable of whipping up quick and easy desserts.

Business Insider spoke with professional chefs, bakers, and food writers to share their favorite classic desserts to bake in the countertop appliance.

Here are some sweet treats you probably didn't know you can make in an air fryer.

"The air fryer is perfect for making a small batch of brownies without heating up the whole house with the oven," he said.

Most air fryers are smaller than traditional ovens, so to make sure you don't end up with leftover mix, Riley suggested dividing your recipe in half or baking your batter in multiple smaller batches.

"This classic dessert can easily be prepared in an air fryer without having to turn on the oven. If you use ready-made apple crust, you can make this tasty treat in under half an hour," Riley told BI.

To decrease the chances of your pie bubbling over, allow the sliced apples to rest in a bowl for 30 minutes, and drain the excess liquid before adding them to your pie crust.

Chef and author Maria Liberati told BI that you can use hazelnut spread and store-bought pastry dough to create a quick and tasty dessert in the air fryer.

"Spread Nutella between two strips of puff-pastry dough, brush the top strip with milk and brown sugar, roll it up, and then bake in the air fryer for five minutes at 400 degrees," she said.

If you're using a large sheet of premade pastry dough, be sure to cut an even number of strips so that each roll has a top and bottom layer.

Chocolate-chip cookies are another classic dessert you can easily make in an air fryer.

"Chocolate-chip cookies bake in around five minutes in the air fryer," Riley told BI. "They get perfectly crispy on the outside and gooey on the inside."

If you want to save even more time, use store-bought dough or prepare a large batch ahead of time and bake individual cookies as needed.

Cannoli are Italian pastries made by filling tubes of fried pastry dough with sweet ricotta cream. Riley said the shells are easy to make in an air fryer.

"You can make cannoli shells in an air fryer with a lot less work than usual by using store-bought pie dough," he told BI. "No one will suspect that this exquisite dessert came right out of your air fryer."

If you don't have cannoli tube forms, you can wrap your pastry dough around sturdy aluminum foil shaped into cylinders.

Jessica Randhawa, a chef and the writer of The Forked Spoon, told BI that an air fryer is a great way to get banana bread that's perfectly chewy on the outside and soft on the inside.

"Making banana bread is easy in an air fryer and the fast cooking time means that it can be enjoyed with your morning coffee, as an afternoon snack, or late-night dessert," she said.

Use mini cake tins or Bundt pans to bake single portions of banana bread in the air fryer, and be sure to adjust your recipe and cooking time accordingly.

The dense, chewy texture of oatmeal cookies pairs perfectly with the crisping abilities of an air fryer.

"Oatmeal cookies cook great in an air fryer," Randhawa said. "They come out soft yet chewy and are even better when they're loaded with gooey chocolate chips and spices."