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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I appreciate you so much!
1,875 Comments on “Lactation Cookies.”
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I only see comments about how great they taste, that doesnt matter if they dont help increase milk supply. SOOOO any feedback on milk supply after eating these?
Yes eating these and drinking mothers milk tea has helped me a lot.
Definitely, ate these before bed. Helps milk supply all night. I also enjoyed one during the day too. I baked these for a year with my first baby. His 2.5 years old now. Im pregnant with baby #2 now so I’ll be doing the same with this baby, they work. My friends do it too. They put brewers yearst in other baking foods too. Be creative, through it in home baked bread! Definitely works. I always ate while while drinking the herbal teas too.Â
Just eating these cookies helped my supply a lot!! I am eating 4/day (I make them smaller-ping pong ball sized-50 cookies per batch)
can my kids/husband eat these or should I just mark them for me only lol. My son and husband love baked cookies.
You’re kids and husband can eat them too! The ingredients are safe for everyone!
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I made these with gluten free flour, because my husband bought the wrong one! The cookies were rock hard but they tasted pretty good. Didn’t use any chocolate as I don’t think is good for the baby, but I used more almonds instead.Â
I’m very confused though about the butter quantity: how can you measure the butter in spoons??? Â That’s a first! I wasn’t sure if I used too much or not enough. Then the coconut oil, do you use the liquid or the solid one?Â
Can’t say if the cookies helped with lactation yet. I would need to make them again with the right flour and the correct butter quantity. I’ll google spoon/ grams.
Butter stick wrappers have Tbs measurements marked out. One stick of butter is equivalent to 8 Tbs. So you can use 1.5 sticks of butter.
I’m with you on the tablespoons measurement. I went with 1T = 20g (metric in Australia) and they came out great. Good luck making them again – they’re bliss :-)
Delicious, but mine were harder to chew because I used steel cut oats. I think they taste more like a nutrition bar & might curb overeating some.
Also I do not own brewers yeast, so that was omitted.Â
I softened my butter, so I had no trouble with my kitchenaid. The batter stood nicely with good body. Creaming the sugar butter, oil  & eggs properly helped with the consistency. Also I only had one egg left, so I added a bit of flax flour.
I just made this cookies and they taste AMAZING!! Super easy to make. Love it!! Thank you for the recipe!Â
These are dynamite as written, I’m already making a second batch! Â They definitely helped up my milk production. I pumped about 6oz yesterday on one side after nursung on the other! Only change I will try today is to grind the oatmeal in the Cuisinart a little before adding in. Great recipe!
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Hmmm my dough came out very crumbly and the cookies didn’t spread much when cooked. Wonder what went wrong…
sounds like not enough butter/coconut oil
This recipe made a TON of cookies. I seriously ended up with 3 1/2 dozen 3 inch wide cookies. Delicious and crossing my fingers they help with my milk production.
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They absolutely work. My baby is 6 months old now and I have been making/ eating these since she was born. I wasn’t sure if they were working until I stopped eating them for a few days and my supply dropped somewhat. They are a great snack, so easy to make a big batch and freeze, and I think they are magic – THANK YOU!
how many a day were you eating im hoping to make these tomorrow!
Add a tablespoon of honey to these cookies to help keep them from getting hard so quickly
I added two tablespoons of almond butter too like recommended
also added packet of chocolate protein powder to add protein
How many should I eat? I ate about 3 to 4 cookies and it made me have a headache. I love this recipe and it tastes so much better than the store bought milk cookies. Thank you for this recipe loved it!!!
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Can anyone tell me what the measurements of butter is in oz or grams? I’m in Australia and we don’t have tbsp measurements on our butter plus our butter sticks come in all different sizes. I’m SO confused at the whole 12 tbsp!
I found this converter for you, hope it helps!
http://www.traditionaloven.com/conversions_of_measures/butter_converter.html
I went with 1T = 20g :) The mix seemed a bit oily cooked when cooked they were moist and delicious. I recommend dessicated coconut to boost the flavour – especially as I used wholemeal flour.
I made these cookies back when I was breastfeeding and they were honestly the best things that I have ever put in my mouth. I completely forgot about them, even though I’m not longer breastfeeding, I will be making them again very soon!! My husband and son loved them too!
My husband has eat a lot of cookies. He is unfortunately still unable to lactate. ;)
My husband has eaten a lot of cookies, as they are delicious. He is unfortunately still unable to lactate. ;)
perseverance is key! ;P
Absolutely loved the cookies. I didn’t use all organic products and reduced the number of oats from 3 cups to 1-1/2 cups. The cookies also increased my supply within a matter of 24 hours. I was able to fill a 5oz bottle within 10 mins on one boob vs previously it would take 40 mins between 2 boobs. Definitely will be making these and freezing extra on a weekly basis
How many cookies do you eat per day?
I have made these as written and they are great. I do believe they have helped my supply. I add the extra 2 TBSP of brewers yeast, since that is a key lactation ingredient.
I wanted to add – today I made these with 1 flax egg & 1 chia seed egg (started making them then realized we have no eggs, so I had to improvise) and they were still great. The crumb was a bit more delicate, but they were still incredible. Â Just thought I would add that in case anyone is wondering.
How many cookies to eat daily? Â
Very easy to make. I substituted 1 cup of flour with half coconut flour and half almond flour with the half cup of flour and turned out great. The mixture didn’t spread as much and it also kept the cookies soft, never harden. I also used almost a cup sugar instead and with the chocolate chips, the sweetness was just right. My perfect go to snack.Â
Awesome to know! I really want to use coconut flour but scared of just wasting all these ingredients if it doesn’t work out.
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I followed the recipe to a T, but they came out very crumbly… they taste great and out of 1 batch I got like 45 cookies. They are very crunchy tho… any suggestions on how to soften them up a bit???
I used quick-cook oats, which are partially processed – i think this helped with the consistency as they were soft & chewy.
The quick oats won’t work as well to increase supply :/
I added just a bit of Water to hold it together
How many are recommended to eat a day to start increasing supply.
I want to add some banana to this recipe but I’m not sure how many or when to add them into the mix. Can anyone offe any tips?
I sometimes substitute an egg for banana when baking, maybe experiment with subbing the egg yolk for one banana and add another tbsp or two flour. Or just increase the flour a little to soak up some of the extra moisture from the banana.
What should be the oven temperature? Â
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I just made a batch to send to my daughter. I would love to know caloric value. I love the taste of these. I’m wondering whether they would be a good breakfast cookie for somebody that doesn’t need extra calories. I know just eating one filled me up. I used a 1″ scoop and got 7 dozen 2″ cookies,. I hope she likes these.
I made the cookies as written except I omitted 1/2 cup of sugar and just put in 2 whole eggs but I added almost a 1/2 cup of unsweetened coconut….amazing!!!!!! My 7 week old is drinking me dry. How long  does it take for the cookies to “work”?  If I have them at night will I leak all over my bed or do they need 8-12 hours to increase supply?
Also how many a day would be considered too many?Â
First time I made exactly as written. Excellent cookies as your photo showed. Daughter loved them, she had so much lactation trouble with first child. She said the cookies made a difference within a day. She ate 10 -15 a day of first batch. She wanted me to substitute locally made organic dark cane syrup for some of sugar and some walnuts. I finally got it just right, sweetness wise, on 3rd batch. These are the changes I made: 1 cup sugar, 2 tablespoons dark cane syrup, 1/3 cup walnuts ground to a meal and used 2 whole eggs. They retain shape and are not too sweet. I have now made 2 batches and rolled into balls for freezer, she can cook a few at a time. I am using a scoop that is giving me 55- 58 cookies in a batch.
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THANK YOU for this recipe! I made these today. I added slightly more yeast & flax seed because my milk supply was in CRISIS MODE! It’s Mothers Day & I was crying earlier today because my milk supply has been tapering off. It’s Sunday night & all weekend up until this point, I pumped SIX OUNCES!!! I thought for sure my pumping life was over & I’d have to start feeding my son formula exclusively. I had 4 of these cookies earlier & im pumping now. It’s been less than 20 minutes and I already have pumped 6 oz!!! This is crazy how well this works! I hope it stays up! Thank you so much again!
The taste of the yeast is a bit much for me. I do have debittered yeast so it’s not a bitter taste, but it is a very nutty taste. Also, the texture is quite sticky & dense. I don’t care, though. These work like magic! I’m so happy, you don’t understand!Â
Hi! How do I substitute 3 tablespoons of ground flax seed with whole flax seed? Ground flax seed is not always available in our country. I hope I get a reply! :)
Hello Kai,
Put the whole flax seed into a spice or coffee bean grinder. It is best to purchase whole flax seed and then grind it right before using it as there is higher nutrition and it won’t spoil. Hope that helps.
Hello. What brand of brewer’s yeast are you using? It is hard for me to find one as they are called nutritional brewer’s yeast and I believe are different things. Please help me. Are you using the stuff made from brewing(bitter) or the stuff grown on beets (cheesy). I am looking to order online but want to make sure I get the right stuff.
Thank you so much.
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Hello so I just made these and the mix was really dry I used all butter no coconut oil. is this normal? and when they baked it seems like they never got done. Any suggestions?
I loved these cookies when I was nursing my last baby! I would make a batch, scoop into portions and freeze the dough, then I could bake just a few at a time. I liked adding dried cranberries to mine- the tartness was fantastic with the dark chocolate and the nuttiness of the brewer’s yeast.
So excited for your new addition, and I love that you’re not finding out the gender! We didn’t find out with our first (my preference), but we did with our second (I caved, since hubby wanted to know the first time around). We had one of each (and kept all the clothes), so we didn’t find out with our third, either. Can’t wait to see what you have!
Not that you need help with recipe ideas, but here’s a fabulous baked oatmeal I ate all.the.time when nursing this last time around… I followed the recipe from allrecipes.com for Baked Oatmeal II http://allrecipes.com/recipe/51013/baked-oatmeal-ii , but added 2.5T Brewer’s Yeast, 1.5T ground flax seed, 3/4C slivered almonds, and 1/2-3/4C white chocolate chips (to cut the bitterness from the Brewer’s Yeast). I would make a pan every week-10 days and eat it every morning for breakfast.
I started eating these cookies 5 days ago. Â I am exclusively breastfeeding but I still try and pump every three hours and after feeding my son. He’s 6 weeks old and usually eats every three hours so if I’m pumping and he gets hungry I stop pumping one breast and feed him until he’s done and continue pumping. On day two of eating these cookies my milk supply increase pretty good. I was getting closer to 2 oz for both breast before the cookies but on day two of eating the cookies it was 2 ozs per breast, which was a big change, and I pumped 4x that day with pumping at least 2 ozs per breast each time. On day one I ate 4 cookies after baking and cooling them. On day two and three I ate three cookies at breakfast, two cookies at lunch, and two cookies at dinner. Â Now I’m eating two cookies at each meal. Â I added almond butter to my cookies and I split the batter into 3 and I added chopped almonds to one, chopped cashews to another and left the last one normal. My favorite was the cashew mix. I hope this helps someone out. I’m mostly pumping to save up milk for when I go back to work to make sure he has plenty to eat.Â
Hi Jessica, first of all let me say these cookies are the BOMB! I had some problem with low milk supply and was thinking of a million ways to boost my milk. Teas didn’t work too well, eating was just driving me crazy! I remembered someone mentioning about lactation cookies before and i went on Pinterest to find a good recipe. Yours popped up! I have done them twice already and everyone in the house loves them! Goes very well with a cup of milk on the side!
I changed the recipe a little, added some ground fennel seeds, more chocolate chips, pumpkin seeds and 2 heaping teaspoon of honey while cutting back on the amount of cane sugar used. (I used 1/2 the amount of cane sugar in your recipe) I must say this recipe is definitely saved in my recipe book! Thanks Jessica!
Oh, and yes i got too excited! These cookies helped me A LOT on increasing my breast milk! I eat 4 cookies every night and till the morning i wake up, my milk supply is still good!
Successfully substituted 1/2 oz mashed banana for the eggs – realized I was out of eggs halfway through making. :)
You wouldn’t happen to have figured out the Macronutrients (Protein, Fat, Carbs) for this recipe, have you?
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I just made a batch following all exact ingredients and they turned out kind of too dry. Looks like there was too much dry ingredients and not enough wet ingredients. I hope there is no mistake in the ingredients in the published recipe. And when time bakes they look nothing like on the image here.
Need idea how to save the whole batch now. I don’t want to add more butter. Should I add maybe milk?
Can I use dry yeast or does it have to be brewers yeast??Â
The brewers yeast is on of the key ingredients in helping lactation