Lactation Cookies
Soft oatmeal chocolate chip cookies packed with flaxseed and brewer's yeast — a nursing-mom favorite that just so happens to taste like a completely normal, delicious cookie.
- Prep Time
- 45 min
- Cook Time
- 15 min
- Total Time
- 1 hr
- Servings
- About 5 dozen cookies
My sister-in-law made these for me after I had my daughter, and I laughed at the idea that a cookie could actually help with milk supply — until it did. I had zero problem eating four of them a day and got genuinely annoyed if I caught my husband sneaking one.
The three ingredients doing the real work here are oats, flaxseed, and brewer's yeast — all fiber and calorie powerhouses that nursing moms need more of. Brewer's yeast is the same stuff that gives beer its lactation-boosting reputation, minus the awkward "should I be drinking this while breastfeeding" conversation.
Whether or not you need the boost, these hold up as a genuinely good soft, chewy oatmeal chocolate chip cookie on their own merits.
Ingredients
- 1 cup butter (2 sticks), softened
- 1 cup white sugar
- 1 cup brown sugar
- 6 tbsp. water
- 3 tbsp. ground flaxseed
- 2 large eggs
- 1 tsp. vanilla
- 1 tsp. cinnamon
- 3 tbsp. brewer's yeast
- 2 cups all-purpose flour
- 1 tsp. baking soda
- 1 tsp. salt
- 3 cups thick cut oats
- 1 bag chocolate chips
Instructions
- 1In a small bowl or cup, stir together the flaxseed and 2 tablespoons of water. Set aside.
- 2Combine the butter and both sugars in a medium mixing bowl, and beat with an electric mixer at medium speed for 1-2 minutes, until light and fluffy.
- 3Add the flaxseed mixture, eggs, and vanilla, and continue beating for another minute.
- 4Add the flour, cinnamon, brewer's yeast, baking soda, and salt, and mix until well combined. Add the oats and chocolate chips, and stir together well with a spatula.
- 5Using a medium ice cream scoop, distribute dough onto a foil-lined cookie sheet. Form each ball of dough into a thick disk with your hands, then place the sheet in the refrigerator for about 30 minutes.
- 6When ready to bake, preheat oven to 350 degrees. Place cookies on a silicone-lined cookie sheet about two inches apart, and bake for 14-16 minutes, until a very light golden brown.
- 7Remove from oven and let the cookies sit on the pan for another 10 minutes before transferring to a cooling rack to cool completely.
Tips
- The trick to a soft cookie is to slightly underbake it — pull them just before they crack on top, and let them finish setting up on the hot pan for 10-12 minutes before moving them.
Storage & Reheating
Freezer instructions: individually wrap cookies with plastic wrap, place in a cookie container or freezer bags, and store in the freezer for up to 3 months.
