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.”
Mine keep falling apart
This recipe is very yummy! I found the dough incredibly dry and crumbly to form cookies from- but the second time I made it- I tweaked it to 1 1/4 c flour and 2 full eggs and it turned out perfect!
I was scared because everyone said how terrible lactation cookies were but these are DELICIOUS!
I would be curious as to what the recommended “dose” would be. I’ve boughten ones before that said to eat 1-3 before every feed but these seem very sweet for that.
Hi how long do these last on the counter???
I used almond flour! (Gluten free)
Amazing!! My daughter is in love. She had the same hangry issue.i keep her supply of cookies
These are delicious but as others have said, you absolutely need to add more liquid. The dough is dry and crumbly and they turn hard when cool. Standard cookie recipes call for more liquid–next time I make these I’m going to up it to the standard 2 eggs per batch instead of 1 egg and 1 yolk, and then see how it goes and maybe move up the liquid content from there. I also think it probably helps to underbake these slightly. The recipe is worth working with but it shouldn’t have been published as is.
OMG! These cookies are amazing and not overly sweet!
The whole family won’t stop eating my dang cookies!
I first made these before my son was born 2 years ago. They are delicious and were just the nourishing, indulgent treat I wanted in the middle of the night or early in the morning when I was awake and nursing (my husband also LOVES them). I’ve since made them for several friends who were about to give birth and everyone has given them rave reviews. I swap half of the cane sugar for brown sugar (North American style brown sugar made from mixing white sugar with molasses) and find it makes them even yummier;) I just add two eggs rather than leaving out the egg white of the second, to avoid the hassle and it hasn’t negatively affected the cookies:) I did it once for a gluten-intolerant friend and used coconut flour instead of regular, which also worked out perfectly.
really lovely! i added raisins and double the cinnamon suggested aswell as coconut flakes and they’re really fab! cant speak yet as to whether they’ll increase my milk supply but we’ll see! thanks so much
This is my go-to recipe. I do bake all at once and then freeze. I don’t mind them being a little dry. It’s like a scone!
I just finished making a batch and wanted to try something new. I added probably 1/4c of sourdough discard and used steel cut oats. The dough was more sticky and I was worried, but they are DELICIOUS.
🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻🫶🏻
Did you cook the steel cut oats?
I did not! I did under bake a little bit though, to help them to not be as crumbly/dry once baked.
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I just made these. They taste really good! but.. they are so crumbly and hard to make a ball out of and become very hard. I added 2 extra tablespoons of coconut oil and 2 extra tablespoons of butter and it made ot taste even better and easier to put on the tray but made them fall apart even more. I need to figure out how to make them stick together. other than that they are very good
This recipe turned out great! Very delicious and way better than I expected out of an oatmeal cookie. I used GF flour (cup 4 cup brand, same amount) and they still turned out good, not too dry like a GF cookie not ally is. I wasn’t able to buy brewers yeast so I didn’t add that but otherwise these are great!
I made the recipe with 2 eggs+ 1 yolk and it works. I don’t know if the eggs in my country are smaller than American eggs.
This was such a great recipe. I did change s few things to taste and preference.
My chocolate of choice is chocolate bars. I used dark chocolate and salted chocolate. I also used two cups.
I changed out 1/2 a cup of sugar for brown sugar.
I used a tablespoon of salt.
again this was all my preference, but I loved them.
These cookies are amazing!! I know a lot of people say they are crumbly but I made it exactly to the recipe and just make sure to pack the cookies into a ball as much as I could and they turned out great. Also, the cookies do not spread so the cookies will stay in any shape you make them into.
This recipe is definitely going into my favorites!
Great recipe! I didn’t have enough white sugar so I did half white and half light brown sugar. It still turned out perfectly! I agree with others that the dough is slightly dry/crumbly, so next time I will try decreasing the amount of oats or flour slightly.
I should have read the comments before baking! Cookie dough is extremely dry. When freezing, squish it down because it will not spread in the oven.
I used dark chocolate chips, and added coconut flakes and almond pieces. It wasn’t as sweet as others mentioned… maybe it’s because of the dark chocolate chips?
Anyway, def recommend adding full egg and something to make cookie dough less dry. Other than that, cookies will turn out decent.
amazing recipe. I’ve made a bunch and it works. you can definitely add more brewers yeast and wont affect the cookie shape
Fabulous recipe! I’ve been making this for three years! I wanted to add that you can split the dough into two round cookie cake pans and bake at 350 for 20-25 min. Cut into small bars and you are good to go!
These are SO yummy! I made it with vegan butter and GF flour and still turned out great.
Love this recipe for a regular without breastfeeding mama. I made them for my sister and her milk came in very good.
Thank you for sharing!
I made these cookies for a friend of mine who is coeliac and can’t eat gluten or oats. They came out really well, with a lovely texture and my friend says they helped with her milk supply. I omitted the brewers’ yeast since I couldn’t find a gluten-free alternative and used almond butter instead of coconut oil (mainly because I couldn’t be sure my coconut oil wasn’t cross-contaminated, but this turned out to be a good way to include some healthy fats). I also used 2 eggs instead of 1.5 on the basis of other peoples comments about the dough being dry.
See the ingredient list below for how I made these gluten free:
3 cups (350g) gluten-free quinoa flakes
1 1/2 cups (235g) gluten-free flour
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 (170g) organic unsalted butter
4 tablespoons almond butter
1 1/2 cups (300g) organic cane sugar
2 large eggs
1 1/2 cups (200g) 90% dark chocolate chips/chunks
Some switches I’m considering for future batches:
* Including a mixture of nuts and dark chocolate chips or chopped dates to improve nutrient density/add texture
* Experimentation with the quantity of almond butter that can be used to replace the butter
* Use of gluten-free coconut sugar as opposed to cane sugar (for additional micronutrients… it’s surprisingly hard to find this because the processing of coconut sugar seems to involve potential cross-contamination often)
Overall 4 stars. This recipe was a great starting point for me.
Ok ladies. I think I cracked the code. I didn’t even bother making the original recipe since nobody seemed to actually like it. I read through all the comments and put together what I think is an acceptable cookie. I ate like 6 of these in one go when I first made this recipe lol just follow the original recipe but use these measurements.
2 1/2 Cup Oats
1 1/4 Cup Flour
5 Tablespoons Brewers Yeast
3 Tablespoons Ground Flax Seed
1/2 teaspoon Baking Powder
1/2 teaspoon Baking Soda
1/2 teaspoon Cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 Sticks Unsalted Butter
4 Tablespoons Coconut Oil
2 Tablespoons Almond Butter
2 Tablespoons Peanutbutter
3/4 Cup White Sugar
3/4 Cup DARK Brown Sugar
2 FULL eggs
2 teaspoons Vanilla (I measured with my heart)
I am not a chocolate fan so I replaced the 1 1/2 Cup Chocolate Chips with Dried Blueberries. Of course I didn’t have enough Dried Blueberries so I ended up doing half Blueberries and half chocolate chips. They still turned out really good but I will definitely make them with full Blueberries next time.
Now here is what I think really made the difference texture wise.
Instead of baking on a cookie sheet, I used cupcake tins. I sprayed each cup with non stick spray and then used a cookie scoop to add one scoop of the batter to each cupcake hole. Baked at 350 for 10 minutes. I pulled them out of the oven and let them sit in the tin for about a minute or two and then used a cookie cooling rack to flip the pan upside down. They didn’t stick and came right out. I let them cool upside down on cooling rack. I got 48 cookies from this recipe. It’s been 2 days and they have been stored on the counter in a big ziploc. They are soooooo chewy and not dry at all.
Can I freeze already baked cookies? so delicious!!
Easy to make and tastes great! Once I was able to find all of the ingredients (with the help of Trader Joe’s, Whole Food’s and Amazon), making this was pretty easy and I just baked my first batch (freezing/storing the rest for after baby comes, as I’m about 1 week away from delivery). I think the only thing I would adjust is the sweetness (just a tad) and probably add more dark chocolate as I love dark chocolate, but other than that I’ll definitely make this again!
Absolutely delicious! Dough was very dry/crumbly to work with and per suggestion of other viewers I just used 2 eggs instead of 1 egg and 1 yolk to increase the liquid; it was still pretty fairly crumbly. Took lots of pressing/shaping to form the dough. That being said, they baked wonderfully (cooked all mine ~15 mins, needed longer than initial estimated time, could be difference in oven) and they tasted amazing! I’m due any day now with my first baby and can’t wait to have these to snack on during the long nights!
I make these for my wife. I use 8 Tbs butter 3/4 c white sugar 3/4 c brown sugar 2 eggs bake at 375 for 13 min
These are soooo good and such a lifesaver when i get hungry! My family loves them too, hubby and 5 yr old loves them too. I did sub 1cup of sugar for monk fruit and 1/2 cup of flour with almond flour and used MCT oil instead of coconut oil. Also i only bake for 10 mins or it gets burnt at the bottom. But now that I’ve perfected my version of the recipe, this is soooo sooo good and my go to recipe for my breastfeeding snack. It just hits all the spots, my hunger and it fills me up and my sweet tooth. Thanks for sharing your recipe.
Cookies tasted yummy, but crumbly. I read the comments when the batch went into the oven : so added the extra white for the remaining. Still a bit crumbly. I used 1:1 gluten free flour and added pecans and dried berries. I also used coconut sugar. Next time I would decrease oats and flour and add two eggs plus one yolk.
Worth making, though
This is the best recipe for lactation cookies I’ve found. I’ve made three times. They taste like lightly sweetened oatmeal with chocolate chips—a treat, but still packed with nutrition. A small note: as written, these don’t spread at all and come out a little crunchier—cook for about 10 minutes. If you’d like spread, sub 1/4 cup shortening for 4 T of the butter. These come out much softer, spread just a touch, and need a few more minutes in the oven.
We tried store brought lactation cookies and my wife did not like them. These on the other hand she loved!!! And they were well tolerated with her having gestational diabetes and being type 2 diabetic as well. She produced so must colostrum even the hospital wanted this recipe! We swear by these!
These are amazing! For personal preference I added a bit more vanilla and cinnamon (I wanted a really strong cinnamon taste) and roughly 1/4 cup extra sugar- I only had one egg left in my fridge but I still really wanted to try these cookies out TONIGHT 😂 and I think they turned out fine! (Not that I would recommend altering the recipe but if you’re a poor planner like me and find you only have one egg it’ll be ok 👍🏻 )
I think my next batch I will add more chocolate chips and brewers yeast 🤔🤤
These turn out amazing!! I reduced the sugar by half the 2nd time i made them and they were still perfect 👌
For those who are worried about the dryness, these tips might help:
* Use a food scale for the flour. 120g-
= 1 cup. if you just scoop out the flour, it gets compacted and you end up with too much flour and a drier cookie
*Use 2 whole eggs instead of 1 egg and 1 yolk. the egg works as a binding agent and helps the cookies stick together
Do the ingredients need to be organic to get the lactation results?
So so good! Everyone in my family loves these. We’ll see if it helps my milk but I would make these even if I wasn’t lactating. I did 2 eggs based on other comments and 1/2 cup almond flour and 1 cup regular flour instead of 1.5 cups regular flour. They turned out perfect.
will this work if i don’t have an electric mixer? :(
These are so good! My mom made them for me postpartum. I’d like to make more. Is the butter softened or melted for this recipe? Thanks!
Recipe turned out great. The cookies are the perfect amount chewy and crunchy. I am freezing the dough to use postpartum. I did change a few things. 1. I couldn’t find brewers yeast so I used nutritional yeast instead (tasted great!) 2. I took someone’s advice from the comments and did 1 1/4c flour and 2 whole eggs and the consistency for scooping was EXCELLENT! I didn’t experience the “dryness” people mentioned.
please help! these are my emotional support cookies and I’m literally eating them every day, all day. so good!
4 weeks postpartum and these are my favorite snack!
Can you make these using some breast milk?
Thank you for this recipe! I make these alll the time – half the sugar and I never have brewer’s yeast but they still turn out great 😁
I love these cookies.
I however needed to make them gluten free so I tweaked them for anybody that has celiac!
1 cup sorghum flour and half cup coconut flour.
I use coconut sugar, same measurements.
I add 2 eggs, 1 egg yolk.
Is there a dairy free version? I’m off all dairy right now and I love these cookies.
How much coconut would you add?
So delicious! I used two whole eggs to keep it simple and it still worked great. Such an excellent recipe, and a wonderful gift for new mums.
Delicious! Made them for my Daughter in Law!
I have been making these cookies for my DILs and they are delicious. I make them vegan because my grandchildren have dairy and egg allergies. Substituting Violife block butter or Melt block butter 1:1 and 65 grams of oat milk for the eggs works really well. I don’t have any experience with making them gluten free
YUM! great recipe!
I followed the advice to use 2 eggs per batch rather than the one egg and one egg yolk.
I made a double batch and cut the sugar and the chocolate by about 40%- 1.75 cups sugar and 2 cups of chocolate for the 2 batches. Also used light brown sugar instead of regular.
Delectable, not too sweet! Baked for 10 minutes and let keep cooking on the cookie sheet to firm up slightly more.
Yummm. These are delicious. I had to use dairy free butter as my bubba has CMPA. I also read the other reviews saying they were quite crumbly so I reduced the sugar to 1 and 1/4 cup and added 1/4 of maple syrup. the first batch that I’ve made i didn’t put any chocolate chips in and they are so good, unsure if I’ll add choc chips to the next batch. I am not sure if they will help with supply yet as I’ve only just made them