Lactation Cookies.
No, never did I ever think I would be typing “lactation” and “cookies” in the same sentence and especially not on my blog.
But these
are
GOOD.
Here is my take on lactation cookies: I don’t know if the COOKIES really work, but I do believe that the key ingredients (oats, brewers yeast, coconut oil, flax) work. I sort of think that the cookies are an excuse to… eat cookies? But in a good way! Also, this is why I think they are so great – in those first few weeks, and heck, even now, I was so freaking hungry, like had never been so hungry in my life. Having something quick to grab, like something even quicker than a banana and almond butter, was imperative while in survival mode. Especially in the middle of the night.
Even since having Max, I’ve developed this hangry hunger every morning, to a point where if I don’t eat something very soon after waking, I feel physically sick. Most likely because he is taking calories from me at night? I’ve never dealt with that before. So having one of these as a snack in the middle of the night or even right when I wake up is a complete LIFESAVER.
Now, these are cookies. Like actual taste-good cookies. I tried a few recipes in the last couple weeks that tasted like cardboard and were drier than dirt. I wanted to make actual enjoyable cookies, ones I wanted to eat, ones I’d be happy to grab twice a day, maybe three times.
The texture: These are thick cookies, not cakey at all, slightly crunchy, but not in a bad or stale way – they are crunchy from the crazy amount of rolled oats inside. I wrote the recipe exactly as I’ve been making them – meaning mostly organic ingredients. Feel free to use non-organic ingredients and what you have on hand.
I know you’ll probably have questions on what you can substitute, what you can leave out or add, what you can change and so on, so I’ve added some notes below the recipe. These will taste best written EXACTLY as is. But I know that sometimes you gotta make some changes! I really, really suggest leaving the amount of fat/butter in the cookies – it adds to the calorie value and new moms need those calories! It will also help the cookie to be a more filling “snack.”
If you want to gift these to a new mom, I would make a batch and bake them, then make a batch and freeze them. Or bake half a batch and freeze the other half. Deliver both. Making a freshly baked double batch isn’t great because the cookies aren’t super soft and moist and that number of cookies will dry out before eaten. Unless of course their family will eat them too. If you’re a mom-to-be, you can totally make these ahead of time – scoop the dough into rounds, flash freeze it then place them in a ziplock bag. My friend Julie has a great tutorial on freezing cookie dough!
Do you have an awesome lactation cookie recipe? If so, share below!
What the video of how I make my Lactation Cookies!
Lactation Cookies
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups unbleached organic all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons brewers yeast
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 12 tablespoons organic unsalted butter
- 4 tablespoons unrefined organic virgin coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cups organic cane sugar
- 1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips/chunks, I like ghirardelli
- feel free to add: unsweetened flaked coconut chopped almonds, 1 to 2 tablespoons of almond butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven the 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and coconut oil on medium speed until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add in the egg and egg yolk, beating until combined, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and beat until combined again. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined and mixed. Stir in the chocolate chips with a spatula until they are evenly dispersed.
- Scoop the dough into 1-inch rounds (I use an ice cream scoop so they are fairly uniform in size) and place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are just golden. Let cool completely before storing in a sealed container.
Notes
2. You can use all butter if you don’t have/can’t find coconut oil. If you swap any butter amount for more coconut oil, the cookies will spread a bit more. If you decrease the fat (butter/oil) amount in total, these cookies will be drier. It’s up to you!
3. You can use 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour with similar results – any more and the cookies with be drier and grittier.
4. You can probably decrease the sugar by 1/4 cup without issue.
5. I do not have experience in making these vegan, so I can’t say what it would be like without the eggs or with vegan butter. I also am not sure how the consistency would be with gluten free flour.
6. I personally think you can increase the brewers yeast amount by 1 to 2 tablespoons.
Did you make this recipe?
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2,110 Comments on “Lactation Cookies.”
I normally aim for sugar free baking but decided to go all in this time. made this but cooked as a thick slice as I could tell the consistency wouldn’t ball. I melted chocolate and spread over the top. I also added about half a cup of leftover peanut butter as I had no cinnamon. My partner loved them, he thought they were my sugar free baking but I had to warn him they weren’t as he was getting through them. I noticed a smaller boost in my milk production which is still better than none. I will make them again this week but change to a sugar alternative and sugar free chocolate chips. Overall, I am super happy with them.
My daughter recently had gallbladder surgery is there a low-fat version we could try (plant butter) and not sure how the coconut oil will agree now that she no longer has the organ to break down the fats ? Prior to surgery these were wonderful for her production just looking to modify, thanks. Or do you have the nutritional information available from original receipt? Grams of fat for instance. Thank you again appreciate any guidance possible.
I had my gallbladder removed several years ago. These are not the kind of fats that need to be avoided. Your daughter still needs to ingest healthy fats, like coconut oil. The type of fats that need to be avoided are more greasy foods, like fried things or oily dishes. I’ve never had reactions to baked goods, unless they were fried like doughnuts. (Although I think over-indulging in anything can make us sick.)
You’re a great mom for supporting her through the process. I remember having a really hard time after my surgery because I wasn’t sure what was safe to eat. It gets so much better/easier with time. I wish your daughter the best of luck!
super yummy
These came out well! I used all butter (because I don’t stock coconut oil), 1 c sugar (because health), and 1.5 tsp of cinnamon (because delicious), and two whole eggs (because I don’t like keeping track of the extra white for later), and assorted chocolate chips I had around. I am at high altitude (6000 ft) and didn’t alter the leavening or other dry ingredients per King Arthur. Thanks!
Can I use steel cut oats for this recipe?
Hi, that’s the only way I’ve been making them! I let the steel cut oats cook in water for 20 minutes and cool down before mixing the ingredients.
Hi, that’s the only way I’ve been making them! I let the steel cut oats soak in boiling water for 20 minutes and cool down before mixing the ingredients.
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I’ve been making these since my now nine year old was a baby! I now make them for friends as they have babies and I’m a little famous for them.
I always make them dairy free because it’s an easy swap (country crock plant butter and enjoy life chocolate chips) and babies can be sensitive to dairy, and I use half brown sugar.
My scoop must be tiny, because when I made these today for a friend, I get 62 standard size cookies. Which my kids were happy about! They got a couple samples before we send them off.
I have made these a number of times and they are so so so good. I first made them when I was breastfeeding and me and my husband loved them so much that I still make them once a month!
Can anyone see any nutritional info/has anyone worked out how many calories there are per cookie? Thank you!
absolutely gorgeous cookies ! and easy enough to make i made mine with my 12 week old in the sling on me 😅
Hello! I’m making this for a friend but she has some dietary requirements..
Has anyone tried to make this with coconut sugar / honey or maple syrup instead of refined sugars?
Also full coconut oil instead of butter? How much do you use?
Thank you so much!!!
I make these as a gift for every new mom I know as a gift they are always a hit!
To make Gluten free for those who need it I was able to source GF Brewer Yeast and used GF Oats and a 1:1 GF Flour (I like King Arthurs GF Flour Best for these)
These were so good! My daughter (and other family members) loved them!
Can you freeze these cookies after they’re baked?
I did and my daughter just ate them until they were gone!
We have made dozens of these cookies for our 2 daughters after their babies were born. They absolutely loved them and couldn’t get enough of them. Midnight snack, breakfast, dessert – you name it and they ate them! It is a delicious, nourishing and healthy cookie. Thanks so much for the recipe!
Super tasty! Thick and delicious!
I’ve made this recipe multiple times, just because they’re so dang good!! I always ate 2 cookies at a time, but I have to ask: how many are you supposed to eat at once to get the lactation benefits?
These cookies are SO delicious. I made it the first time by the recipe and it was a little dry and hard to form into balls without it falling apart (I added the optional chocolate chips and 1/2 cup of coconut flakes). However, they were incredibly delicious once baked.
My second go around I added an extra 1/2 TBSP of butter and 1/2 TBSP of coconut oil and the consistency was much better for balling the cookies up by hand.
5/5 recommending to all of my friends!
i’m a first time mom to be working on prepping my postpartum stash so while i can’t yet speak to their effectiveness as a lactation supplement – these cookies are SO good. i subbed the flour for whole wheat einkorn flour (i did this for extra protein/nutrients – using whole wheat einkorn can cause baked goods to be dry so just watch the moisture level as you mix the dough. i used the same amount – 1 1/2 cup – and had no issues with these being dry or crumbly at all) i also used coconut sugar instead of cane sugar. these are SO so good. i had to bake a couple to make sure they’d be moist before i froze the rest of the dough as my postpartum meal prep, the einkorn adds a wonderful nutty flavor and extra goodness. i can’t wait to eat more once baby girl is here :)
Awesome recipe. I’m hopeful they’ll help support my supply. I added additional spices (clove, nutmeg, allspice) and raisins and they turned out fabulous! Added a bit more flour and time baking for high altitude (2 more min or so). Thank you!
These are delicious for new nursing mothers and seemed to help increase her milk production. My niece is having another baby and I can’t remember if I can use quick oats instead of old fashioned oats? Please let me know. thanks!
I made these cookies for my daughter shortly after my granddaughter was born. What a huge hit they were! Not only did they do what you hope they do, but they were delicious enough to eat ANY time! On a scale of 1-5, this recipe is a 10!
And P.S. I’m making the second batch today;)
Delicious!! I subbed walnuts for chocolate chips, and slightly cut down sugar. Was planning to give away as gift but will likely eat half!
Hello! Thank you for this recipe… I haven’t actually made them yet as I am in Colombia and can’t seem to find where to buy brewers yeast. Can I omit it? I have unbleached organic nutricional yeast but I know it’s not the same.
Thank you for this recipe. I used whole wheat flour but they came out drier like cookie thins. Still tasted good.
Made exactly as written. Very good.
Love this recipe. I made them when I had my babies and for friends that have babies and now I make them school lunchbox. I leave out the brewers yeast, do half a cup raw sugar and half brown, put in half a cup of pumpkin seeds that have been crushed in the Thermomix and no one knows they are there. My daughter is GF so I substitute the flour for buckwheat flour 1:1 and they are delicious. When I made them for friends I sometimes added Goji berries as well.
About how many of these cookies are recommended a day to boost milk supply?
I made these cookies exactly as the recipe was written. I must’ve checked eight times to make sure that I did it right. But they were incredibly crumbly. They were hard to form even using a cookie scoop and pressing to mix into the scoop itself the first batch I made came out all humped up because they didn’t spread it all so the second batch I tried to press down slightly, but they just kept falling apart. I don’t understand what I’m doing wrong. I’m making these as a gift for my son‘s breast-feeding girlfriend and I don’t want to screw it up again they taste good. They just look less than stellar. Any help or suggestions are appreciated.
Let me preface this review by saying that I have a black thumb in baking.
The first time I made them I messed up. I read the note about using whole wheat flour so I only used 1/2 cup of flour (whole wheat) total. The cookies were soooo wet. I didn’t realize until after my 10 minute timer went off and I opened the oven to find my cookies completely flattened and melded together. I added 5 more minutes and it was the same. I turned off the oven and let them cook in residual heat. They turned out like graham crackers and were absolutely delicious!
The second time I made them, I followed the recipe using whole wheat and rye flour, which I know can mess up the hydration. I didn’t do the full 1.5 cups of flour. After 10 minutes, they felt flat and mushy so I added another 5 minutes. The recipe came out super dry (which seems to be common per the comments).
Overall thoughts: great flavor but hydration is off. I think I’ll just make my accidental graham cookie version from now on.
Alterations I made:
– First attempt: 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, no additions, 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
– Second attempt: no butter (used only coconut oil), 2 eggs, 1 cup sugar, 1 Tbsp cocoa powder, coconut flake additions, < 1 cup whole wheat flour, < 1/2 cup rye flour