This is the ultimate lactation cookie recipe. It contains five super-food ingredients to boost breastmilk production, while being hearty and delicious enough to satisfy constantly hungry nursing moms.
I’ve nursed two babies now for a total of 21 months, and I have not found another lactation recipe that I love more than this one. Not only did it help me get my milk production up, but it also kept me from going hungry as a breastfeeding mom!
The Ultimate Lactation Cookie Recipe
I’ve made these cookies for friends with newborns, and they (and their husbands!) all loved it!
For my second baby, I doubled this recipe and froze the cookies so I could have several ready to go whenever I needed.
This cookie makes a great breakfast snack when you get the munchies.
Looking for the non-lactation version of this cookie? Look no further.
The Secret Ingredients for boosting Breastmilk Supply
The secret milk-boosting ingredients in this lactation cookie are: flaxseed, oats, brewer’s yeast, coconut, and almonds.
All About Flaxseed
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Flaxseed is a galactagogue. No, that’s not an alien species. Galactagogues are foods, herbs, or medicines that increase breastmilk supply.
Flaxseed comes from the flax plant and is not just for lactating mothers, it’s actually really good for your overall health, too! It’s a great source of healthy omega-3’s and fiber.
I’ve used both ground flaxseed and whole flaxseed in this recipe, and I definitely prefer the ground flaxseed!
Whole flaxseed kind of gets stuck in your teeth and makes the cookies look like bird food.
Definitely get ground if you can! You can also grind whole flaxseed in a coffee grinder, food processor, or blender, though I couldn’t get it to be as fine as store bought.
All About Oats
Oatmeal is another healthy super-ingredient that supports lactation. You’re probably more familiar with this ingredient 😉
Oatmeal is a good source of iron and, because it contains oat bran, helps to lower cholesterol.
For this lactation cookie recipe, I prefer to use rolled oats, but you can also substitute the quick-cooking kind. Just make sure it’s unsweetened and unflavored.
All About Brewer’s Yeast
Brewer’s yeast is dried, deactivated yeast that has a sour, bitter flavor. It’s not the same as nutritional yeast, which has a nutty, almost cheesy flavor.
Brewer’s yeast comes from the production of beer. It is a good source of chromium, B vitamins, iron, potassium, and protein.
I found this yeast at my local health store. If you aren’t able to find Brewer’s yeast easily, find it here.
Not gonna lie, Brewer’s yeast smells funky. But thankfully, the cookies hide the taste and smell so well!
All About Coconut
There are two kinds of coconut in this recipe: sweetened shredded coconut and coconut oil. But, don’t be nervous, the coconut flavor is NOT overwhelming at all.
According to The Breastfeeding Mother’s Guide to Making More Milk, coconut can support breastmilk production. It also tastes amazing in this lactation cookie recipe!
I often forget to set my butter out, so I love using coconut oil for baking because it’s always soft and at room temperature.
*If you’re allergic to coconut, feel free to leave it out and substitute an equal amount of butter for the coconut oil.
All About Almonds
Raw almonds are traditionally snacked on by nursing moms to increase their milk supply. Some sources report a creamier, sweeter milk from eating almonds, and who doesn’t want that!
You can use whole almonds for this recipe, just chop them up into smaller pieces. Or, I have also used sliced almonds for a pretty, flaky texture.
Nuts in general are full of protein and calcium, so if you’re not a fan of almonds, substitute a different nut!
How to Make The Ultimate Lactation Cookie
Jump to RecipeStart by creaming your coconut oil and sugars together in a stand mixer. Beat them until they’re light and fluffy.
Next, add your eggs and vanilla. I’m terrible at cracking eggs, so I typically crack them into a small bowl and pick out the little eggshell bits before adding the eggs to my batter.
Mix flour, salt, baking soda, brewer’s yeast, and ground flaxseed together in a separate bowl, and then add that slowly into the mixer as it’s running on low.
Last, combine all the cookie mix-ins (nuts, chocolate chips, oats, shredded coconut, dried cranberries) together and then add to the dough a third at a time.
The mixer will struggle to get the mix-ins all combined, and that’s OK. Once you’ve added the last of it, scrape the sides of the mixing bowl with a rubber spatula and turn the bottom over the top to get every last bit incorporated.
I like to use an ice cream scoop to form massive cookies. They just taste better when they’re bigger!
These go into the fridge for 10-15 minutes and then into an oven preheated to 350 degrees.
After they’ve baked for about 12 minutes, they come out looking and smelling oh so delicious!
*drools all over screen*
Look at those big oatmeal pieces and chocolate chunks buried in there! YUM!
The Ultimate Lactation Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 cup coconut oil
- 2/3 cup white sugar
- 1 1/3 cups dark brown sugar
- 2 eggs at room temperature
- 2 tsp vanilla
- 2 cups flour
- 1/2 Tbsp baking soda
- 1 tsp salt
- 2 Tbsp brewer’s yeast (debittered)
- 2 Tbsp ground flaxseed
- 2 1/4 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups chopped or slivered almonds (raw and unsalted)
- 1 cup sweetened shredded coconut
- 1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips
- 1 cup white chocolate chips
- 1 cup dried cranberries
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350º F.
- Cream together the coconut oil, dark brown sugar, and white sugar until light and fluffy.
- Add the eggs, one at a time, and beat well after each addition. Then mix in the vanilla.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the flour, baking soda, salt, flaxseed meal, and brewer’s yeast together. With the mixer on low, beat in the flour mixture slowly just until incorporated.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, chopped or slivered almonds, shredded coconut, both types of chocolate chips, and the dried cranberries. Slowly beat these ingredients into your cookie dough.
- Stir everything one last time with a rubber spatula, scraping down the sides and turning over the dough from the bottom to make sure the mix-ins at the bottom are fully incorporated.
- Use an ice cream scoop to scoop the cookie dough onto a cookie sheet. Make sure to leave a couple inches between the cookie dough balls for them to spread. Flatten each dough ball slightly, and then place the sheet in the fridge for 10-15 minutes while you prepare another sheet of cookie dough balls.
- Bake the chilled cookies in a preheated oven for about 12-15 minutes until they are light brown and crisp on the edges, but still soft in the middle.
FYIs and FAQs
- Can I freeze these cookies? Yes! I recommend making a double batch and freezing so you can have a fresh cookie whenever you need it.
- How long does it take to work? Every body is different. Some see results the next day.
- How many do I need to eat? I honestly don’t know! From my personal experience, I ate three to four a day and that increased my supply.
- Can I leave out the coconut/almonds/brewer’s yeast? Absolutely! This recipe already has 5 different galactagogues in it. If one doesn’t appeal to you or is just too difficult to find, then leave it out.
- Can I use butter? Yes, just swap the coconut oil for 1 cup of room temperature butter.
- Can I make the cookies smaller? Yes, but shorten the cooking time to 7-10 minutes and keep a close eye on them. You’ll know they’re done when they’re a light golden brown, but still look a bit soft.
- Can I gift this as a mix in a jar? Sure! Put all the dry ingredients except the sugars in a jar. Print off the recipe and include it with your gift. But honestly, I think the giftee might prefer the ready-made cookies 😉
More Lactation Recipes
Find more lactation recipes in this post. I talk about everything from smoothies to soups. You won’t want to miss it!
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Or try the original, non-lactation version here.
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