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.”
What exactly is cane sugar? Is it brown sugar (sandy texture) or raw sugar (grainy texture)?
When I made these, I used plain white sugar – delicious!
Thanks Rachel. I’ll give it a go!
Excited To Try This Recipe !!
I have made them twice now, and each time a few of the oats don’t stick when scooping them onto the sheet. Has anyone else experienced this? I mean they still turn out great just asking to see if its supposed to happen that way.
Alaina, tru scooping the dough and forming a ball with your hands. That way you can add add some pressure so that they stick better. That’s what I did and they came out fine.
I scooped my dough with a spoon and then formed a ball. I feel like that may help the dough stay together 🙂
I think this recipe is great but I used cup 4 cup gluten free flour in place of the regular flour and added an extra egg because the cup 4 cup is mostly cornstarch so can dry out recipes. Works great with the additional egg if using GF flour.
Thank you Molly! I used almond flour and they turned out great!
What portions of almond flour did you use? And did you have to increase any of the other ingredients?
All the stores right now are out of All purpose.
I started with 2 cups of almond flour then added a little more to thicken the batter after i baked a sample one and it was really flat/thin! Hope that helps! ( During covid-19 I am finding all purpose flour at the dollar store when all other stores were out)
Is the cinnamon necessary for increasing lactation? I’d like to leave it out of it isn’t as I can’t stand cinnamon
I may it without cinnamon and much prefer it this way! Very yummy!
Cookies are delish. Anyone know if they are unsafe for my toddler to eat? Unsure about the brewers yeast!
I didn’t even think of this but my toddler has eaten heaps and is still alive and well :)
These are so delicious. Made a bunch for my newly breastfeeding friend as an on-hand snack and she loved them…and so did I! So much so that I made another batch just for me.
Brewer’s yeast and nutritional yeast are safe for toddlers. Many vegan moms give it as a source of vitamin B12. There are only very rare cases where these yeasts wouldn’t be suitable, such as certain genetic mutations or yeast allergies. (I’m a Certified Holistic Nutritionist, Natural Nutrition Consultant Practitioner, Registered Nutrition Consultant Practitioner)
I have a large container of quick oats that I use for oatmeal. Is that ok instead of the old fashioned oats?
I guess quick oats was a bad idea. My dough came out incredibly dry. I had to improvise moisture in order to be able to add the chocolate chips and nuts. It was still pretty dry. The chips and nuts didn’t want to stick to the dough.
I used quick oats and mine was try too so I just added a little wa ater at a time and it was totally fine.
You are doing amazing work! Thanks for sharing your wonderful recipes. I started on just Lactation Cookies and noticed minimal improvement in milk supply. So I started Domperidone (Motilium) 3x10mg three times a day. (So glad I found “Make24milk” 👍 in Google and get the reliable source) I got great results. Now I take Domperidone (Motilium) and your tasty Lactation cookies. This is a great combination. Love your recipes ❤️!
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These cookies are absolutely delicious!! I made a few substitutes and they still came out amazing; easy to scoop too.
Butter – Ghee butter
Sugar – Organic coconut sugar
Flour – Gluten free all purpose flour
Chocolate chips – Equal Exchange organic dark chocolate chips
Also added in 1/4 cup of unsweetened coconuts flakes.
Thanks so much for this recipe!
I followed the recipe exactly as it is but mine turned out really dry and crumbly
Try baking them for less time. I’ve made these 3 or 4 times now and found that even when they don’t seem like they are done, they are. My MIL baked some off for me when my LO was weeks old and she over baked them and they turned out really dry and crumbly. Fresh I bake for 10 min, frozen, 12. Good luck!
In my lactation Moms group many folks said they just added an extra egg to help with moisture. I personal found adding almond butter (1/4 C) helps. Also, adding the oats as a mix in with the chocolate chips helps too (instead of mixing with flour and Brewers yeast). I think they absorb less moisture that way.
Wow! These cookies are delicious 😋 I really wasn’t expecting them to be so good. So happy I tried the recipe, it will now be one of my go to!
Loved these! I used vegan butter and they turned out divine. Glad to have these for me and my little one’s milk supply :) Thanks!
Did you use eggs? I am looking for an egg substitute
I make mine egg free and I just add 2 flax eggs (1T flax meal soaked in 1/4 C cold liquid per egg-i used coconut milk) I think they turn out nicely. Still more crumbly than with egg, but I don’t mind)
These are so good, the only modifications I make are using raisins instead of chocolate chips depending on my mood. Both ways are delicious. I always use coconut flakes too which make them feel like macaroons, very decadent.
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My cat keeps trying to eat the brewers yeast!
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Oh my goodness, these are so delicious! I was hesitant to try lactation cookies because I’ve heard they can have an odd taste, but these are just as good if not better than the usual oatmeal cookies I make! Thanks for the recipe!
Can you omit the brewers yeast? If so, would the recipe need to be modified? These cookies look great but we do not need the yeast.
Brewers yeast is what makes them lactation cookies. Its added to increase milk supply. Without it they are just regular cookies. You omit it if thats what you want.
I have made this recipe 3 times and they don’t seem to melt into a nice cookie shape. It stays in the shape of the scoop and is crumbly. I have followed the recipes as it is. Any recommendations?
I used brown sugar instead of white and added 2 mashed banannas to the butter mix
Oooo bananas-great idea!
Can these be made without the Brewer’s Yeast? Can I just leave it out or do I need to sub something else in for it?
are you looking to make these as lactation cookies? brewers yeast is what gives them that effect.
I made them for my friend who is breast feeding. I like them but would like to make them for my family without the Brewer’s Yeast.
How long do these last in an airtight container?
These are great! I made them lower carb. Used swerve brown sugar and regular swerve Instead of sugar. Used almond flour 1:1 instead of regular flour, lilly’s chocolate chips instead of regular choc chips. Also added some fennel seeds (1/2 tbsp) and xantham gum (1/2 tsp). 1/2 recipe made 20 cookies. Each one about 100 calories. 17 min in the oven at 350. Have to wait for them to cool down before trying to peel them off, otherwise they crumble. Yum!
Forgot to mention that they need to be flattened out well. They dont really melt into cookie shape. Thats very typical of lower carb recipes.
I have been making these cookies for 3 years, throughout 2 kids and they are awesome. I, however, add blessed milk thistle and fenugreek. This time around making them tonight I did something random. I added mashed banana and white chocolate chips with nutmeg! They were soft and like banana bread!!!!
How much do you add of blessed milk thistle and fenugreek to your cookies? Also, how much do you eat and do you see a big difference in supply quickly?
Depends on strength. I use 10 – 15 capsules of each. I usually eat 2 or 3 a day. I’d say results for me in about 24-48 hours
I made these two years ago when I was pregnant with my son and I’m expecting our daughter any day and have them in the kvern (I freeze the cookies and then zap them in the microwave or dip in coffee when I’m ready to eat them…works great). This recipe is wonderful. I do half chocolate chips and half m&Ms!
Oops, oven…not kvern.
These cookies are excellent. I have read a few comments about the dough being dry. Instead of water add milk. The fats in the milk will help to keep the cookies moist. Also as a side note. If anyone has egg allergies you can use egg replacer without any issues.thanks for the recipe! My daughter is feeding twins and the help from this recipe has been enormous!
Once cookies are made, how long can they be stored for at room temperature? I want to make and send my sister but not sure if they will still be fresh and good.
They can last a week that I know of, that’s as long as mine get to last before I eat them all!
How many should you eat for increased supply?
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this recipe made a lot of dough. It said it makes 20 cookies they must be huge! is that an incorrect amount
I’m sure I can get at least 40 cookies out of this recipe.
I got 38 out of my batch and I feel like I rolled generous size dough balls.
Has anyone made granola with the ingredients? I noticed the leftover crumbles make a delicious granola-like topping. I may try making some of the next batch into granola. Thank you for this recipe, the whole family loves it!
The cookies taste good but ended up being really crunchy. How do I get them to be soft? Also, how many should I be eating a day?
These cookies are great. I made them last night and woke up this morning with huge engorged breasts. Thank you! I followed the recipe exact.
I made these and I hate coconut, but they are amazinggggg! Love love love these cookies!
Turned out extremely dry for me! Followed the recipe exactly.
Made these this evening but only used 3/4 of a cup of sugar and substituted the dark choc chips with a hand full of cacao nibs and bit of milk choc broken up as that was what I had. They came out well!
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Like all the hundreds of comments here, this recipe is spot on. For the dairy free mums out there, I substituted the butter for coconut oil (1:1) and added 2 tbs almond milk. I also used 3/4 cup of wholemeal plain flour and they are chewy and delish. I’ve also done a couple of batches with wholemeal rye flour, but used the 1.5 cups and it was fine. I quite like these cookies on the drier side. I’ve also frozen from cooked, taken a batch out before bed and snacked on them overnight. A happy reason for frequent night waking!!
I made with half peanut butter and half coco oil, dropped 1/4 cup of flour, dropped 1/4 cup sugar (used half brown and half white), and added 1/4 cocoa to make them chocolate. Added a few tablespoons of almond milk at end to make dough sticky. Cook for 14-15 min. Were way less dry than my first batch (without the almond milk). And delicious! Made 40+ cookies with a cookie scoop.
I made these with 6 tablespoons of yeast, extra thick rolled oats, 2 bananas and 3/4 cup of coconut flour and they are by far my favorite cookies ever! I also do smaller scoops when placing them in the cookie sheet to allow me to eat more ;) I can make about 50 cookies.
These are delicious! Does anyone know how many we should eat a day to increase our milk supply? I made the recipe exactly as listed, adding the *optional* 2TBS of a nut butter. They were very crumbly as a dough, but tightly packed when rolled they made excellent baked cookies. Also, my batch gave me 38 cookies, which is more than the recommended 20-22.
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Im so happy I made it! I reduced the sugar to 1/4. Used 7 tbsp of coconut oil and 9 tbsp of butter. I used the 1 tbsp to scoop. Was afraid it would spread a lot as I used more coconut milk than butter but turned out fine :) I also used quick-cooking oats so I panicked when I read that to some, it made their cookies dry. So glad mine weren’t dry. I also added a banana on some of the dough and also turned out great. I didnt have ground flaxseeds and was too lazy to grind them so I used the whole flaxseeds as they are without any issue. My 6-yr old and husband also like it.
What is the nutritional value? I cant find it. My husband made them for me and they are amazing. So I’m sure they are high in calories.. but how high?
Great lactation cookies! I did the recipe as stated and they turned out great! Thank you!
I followed the recipe the first time and they were delicious. But, since I really don’t have time to actually bake the cookies, I now modify the recipe so I can just freeze the dough and eat them that way! Thanks for sharing!
My bulk store sent me nutritional yeast instead of brewers. Aill it do the same thing?
Daphne, nutritional yeast is different from brewer’s yeast (you don’t want to get a salty cheesy tasting cookie, unless you actually do?) but brewer’s yeast is what makes them lactation cookies. So I would get your bulk store to change that order for you!
I made these today for my friend who is breastfeeding – 1st round was crumbly and a bit dry (baked for 10 mins) so 2nd round I added the egg white (that was left from the 1st round) and some oat milk, just to bind the dough.
Can I omit the coconut oil?
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I made these with King Arthur measure for measure gluten free flour and they are fantastic! I also left off the cinnamon and that went totally fine. The dough was a little bit crumbly but I shaped it with my hands and they came out perfect—some of the best gf cookies I’ve made, lactation or not!!
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I added 3 medium ripe bananas to make the cookies softer (add to butter/oil/sugar mixture before adding eggs). Baked 20 min. The cookies taste great! Much better than putting the brewer’s yeast in my smoothies or morning oatmeal. The recipe yielded 30 large cookies.