Lactation Cookies: the mouthwatering cookie recipe for new moms
Thick, perfectly chewy, and with a hint of crunchiness around the edges, lactation cookies are an easy-to-make sweet treat that are full of healthy ingredients. Thanks to ingredients like oats, brewers yeast, and flaxseed, lactation cookies can help boost the milk supply in nursing mamas, but anyone can enjoy these healthy cookies. Make them ahead and keep them on hand while you're nursing your newborn as a delicious snack that will help keep both you and your new baby healthy and well-fed.
What are Lactation Cookies?
Lactation cookies are an easy-to-make baked treat that contains a variety of healthy ingredients which are widely used to help promote milk production in breastfeeding mothers. Packed with nutrient-rich ingredients like oats, brewer's yeast, and flaxseeds, they taste a lot like oatmeal chocolate chip cookies but have more nutritional benefits – exactly what you need when you're caring for your newborn.
Tips for the Best Lactation Cookies
– Add chopped nuts or some nut butter (like peanut butter or almond butter) to make your lactation cookies even healthier and more delicious.
– Don't be tempted to leave out the oats – they're full of iron which is important for nursing mothers as it helps with milk production and can help ward of iron deficiency.
– Brewer's yeast is widely consumed by nursing mothers to help improve their milk supply, but it can be left out.
– You can substitute coconut sugar for cane sugar if you prefer.
– Make gluten-free lactation cookies by swapping out all-purpose flour for a gluten-free one. Almond or coconut flour both contain beneficial nutrients and make the best alternatives.
How to Store Lactation Cookies
Keep your lactation cookies fresh by storing them in an airtight container at room temperature. Enjoy them within 5 days. Frozen lactation cookies will keep for up to 3 months.
How to Make Lactation Cookies
Preheat your oven to 350F. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper.
Whisk oats, flour, yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon in a large bowl to combine.
In a separate bowl, beat butter and coconut oil with an electric handheld mixer until smooth and creamy. Add in the sugar and beat until light and fluffy. Beat in the egg and egg yolk. Beat in the vanilla.
Set your handheld mixer to low. Slowly beat the flour mixture into the butter mixture until just combined. Fold in the chocolate chips.
Scoop the dough and form them into balls. Place on the baking sheet. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms of the cookies begin to turn golden brown. Remove from oven and set on a rack to cool completely.
Notes
Use an ice cream scooper to scoop the dough to make even-sized cookies.
