dark chocolate chip oatmeal cookies

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After giving birth to my daughter, my sister-in-law made these cookies for me. I laughed at the thought of them actually helping my milk supply, but they really did…and I had absolutely NO problem eating at least 4 of them a day. I was pretty disappointed when I ran out, and fussed at my husband if I caught him eating one.

I made a batch for my best friend after she had her baby. I spooned about a tablespoon full of batter, and this made a little over 5 dozen cookies. Personally, I did have some issues with getting my daughter to latch on for feeding…and after 3 days of her barely getting anything and her weight dropping, I gave in and bought a breast pump. Best money we spent. These cookies truly helped me turn into a milk maid, and the breast pump bra made pumping even easier. I couldn’t have made it nearly as long as I did without that bra, because having to hold those suckers on yourself while pumping was a bit of a pain in the rump. If I can make a recommendation to a mom who’s pumping it would be this: Pump as much as you can, because you never know if/when you’ll have to stop! I had some medical issues that forced me to stop sooner than I wanted, but I was able to store some of the milk in a deep freezer in freezer bags.

The three most important ingredients that make these cookies so successful with improving lactation are the oats, flaxseed meal and brewer’s yeast. The oats are full of fiber and iron, and are a great source of added calories. And let’s face it, nursing mothers NEED calories in order to produce milk! The flaxseed is also packed with fiber and helps improve lactation…which brings us to Brewer’s yeast. Most moms wouldn’t feel comfortable downing a heavy beer at least once a day while breastfeeding/pumping (although they might want to), and Brewer’s yeast is what is in the beer that helps improve lactation. So, why not put them in a cookie with no alcohol, also packed with a lot of fiber and calories, AND it tastes good?? Can’t go wrong with this.

*Thick cut oats, flaxseed meal, and Brewer’s yeast are available at health food stores.

Lactation Cookies

1 cup butter (2 sticks, softened)

1 cup white sugar

1 cup brown sugar

6 tablespoons water

3 tablespoons ground flaxseed

2 large eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon cinnamon

3 tablespoons Brewer’s yeast

2 cups all purpose flour

1 teaspoon baking soda

1 teaspoon salt

3 cups thick cut oats

1 bag chocolate chips

In a very small bowl or cup, stir together flaxseed and 2 tablespoons water. Set aside. Combine butter and both sugars in a medium size mixing bowl. Beat with electric mixer at medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy. Add flaxseed, eggs, and vanilla, continue beating for another minute. Add flour, baking powder, cinnamon, Brewer’s yeast, baking soda, and salt, continue mixing until well combined. Add oats and chocolate chips, stir together well with a spatula.

Using a medium ice cream scoop, distribute dough on a foil-lined cookie sheet. Using your hands, form each ball of dough into a thick disk. Place back on sheet and into refrigerator for about 30 minutes. When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cookies on a silicone lined cookie sheet, about two inches apart. Bake for 14-16 minutes, or until a very light golden brown. Remove from oven, let sit on pan for another ten minutes. Transfer to cooling rack to cool completely. Store in airtight container.

*If you want smaller cookies, use a smaller scoop and adjust the baking time by about 1-2 minutes.

**How do I make cookies soft? This may sound weird, but a great way to make sure your cookies are soft is to UNDERbake them. No seriously, I’m not kidding. This is a technique that takes some practice, so you know exactly when to pull your cookies from the oven. When you slightly underbake the cookies, they still continue to bake on the cookie sheet after they’re removed from the oven…this is called carryover baking. If you don’t believe me, Google it. The internet never lies… Just before they’re starting to crack a little on the top and are still slightly soft in the middle, pull them from the oven. Let them sit on the cookie sheet for about 10-12 minutes. They’ll still be slightly soft when you transfer them to the cooling racks, but will firm up more as they cool. If they’re falling apart when you are transferring them, they didn’t bake long enough. It just takes a little practice, but I have faith in you.

FREEZER INSTRUCTIONS: Individually wrap cookies with plastic wrap, place in cookie container or ziplock freezer bags and store in freezer for up to 3 months. Pull out to thaw as needed.