The Best Lactation Cookies

The best lactation cookies recipe balance healthy and indulgent perfectly. Sweet, salty, chewy, and crunchy. These hit every craving and are perfect for a postpartum mama.

Daniel is over a year old somehow, and although our nursing journey doesn’t seem to be ending anytime soon, I have a few friends that are just about to become new moms. 

I remember back when my first was born. As a first time mom, everything is new. All those little sounds, squeaks, grunts. We always joke that going from zero to one child is harder than adding any more. 

Sounds strange to say that going from zero to one was harder than, say, adding your sixth child, but it’s true. You learn the ropes and learn to let go a little more. And next thing you know, you have a baby in a van. 

There is less stress to when babies should be doing things… how to develop a sleep schedule, when to start solid foods, when to begin potty training… it’s endless. Just know that each of those things will happen in their own time. 

Starting my nursing journey with my first was a totally new experience. I often worried if I was producing enough milk. 

Luckily, we didn’t have any significant issues, but oh boy, I wish I’d had these decadent oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies around back then. 

These would make the perfect treat to take to a new mom friend. They are literally the most delicious treat… sweet, salty, crunchy, chewy, chocolate-y, and full of healthy fats. 

Recipe Highlights:

Sweet, salty and crunchy: These are the best lactation cookie recipe. With delicious flavors and textures, it is so good.

Delicious way to help try to boost breast milk supply: I mean who wouldn’t want to eat cookies and chocolate. Just saying.

Nutritious ingredients like brewers yeast, flaxseed, spelt flour, oats, etc.

Tips For Making Lactation Cookies

• If you don’t have flaky sea salt in your cupboard, it’s okay to skip it, but flaky sea salt is totally worth the buy.
• Don’t have spelt? Substitute it for all purpose flour. 
• If the dough is a bit wet to roll the cookies, you can put the batter in the fridge for 20-30 minutes.
• Look for debittered brewer’s yeast. The addition of almond butter in this recipe (or other nut butter) helps to mask the slightly bitter flavor of the brewer’s yeast.
• Have a nut allergy? Swap out the nut butter for sunflower butter.
• You can add the chocolate chunks and the pretzels into the dough and mix it all together, but I prefer to mix in 1 cup of chocolate chunks while reserving 1⁄4 cup of chocolate chunks to add to the top of the cookies. I add a few pretzel bites to each cookie individually, as well.

Do lactation cookies really work?

There haven’t been any scientific studies to show if lactation cookies really work, but many moms swear by them for increasing their milk supply.

When should you start taking lactation cookies?

Since these breastfeeding cookies are made from healthier ingredients, they are safe to consume at any point during breastfeeding. Most people tend to reach for them when they feel like their milk supply is low or inadequate to meet the demands of their baby. You may see a difference in supply within 24 hours of eating lactogenic foods. 

Which lactation cookie is best?

These, obviously. Jokes aside, these are not only delicious, but they include healthy fats, less refined sugar, oats, and other healthy ingredients.

What are galactagogues?

Galactagogues are substances that are used to help maintain and breast milk production (source). These can be through prescription or from certain foods: like fennel, oats, brewers yeast, flaxseeds, fenugreek and more.

Key Ingredients

Brewers yeast: Excellent source of B vitamins, protein and iron and may help balance blood sugar levels. This is not the same as nutritional yeast or baker’s yeast.

Rolled oats: Some moms swear by oats as a way to increase their milk supply. Oats are a good source of B vitamins and a source of iron, which may be why women find it helpful with milk production.

Ground flaxseed: Provides healthy fats and makes the cookies heartier. They also include phytoestrogens which may help boost milk supply.

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Tools you may need:

Stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer

Measuring cups and spoons

Baking sheet

Parchment paper

Cookie scoop (optional)

How To Make The Best Lactation Cookies

In a stand mixer with paddle attachment, cream together butter and coconut sugar for a few minutes until light and fluffy.

Add eggs (plus extra yolk) and mix well. Scraping down the sides of the bowl once or twice to make sure everything is combined well.

Add maple syrup and nut butter and mix until well combined.

In a separate bowl, mix all dry ingredients together except the chocolate chunks and pretzels.

Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients about 1/3 at a time and mix just until incorporated.

Add the chocolate and pretzels and gently combine. (Reserve some chocolate and pretzels for topping the cookies.)

Place cookie dough balls (about the size of 2 Tbsp) on a parchment lined baking sheet and press down lightly. 

Add some chocolate and crushed pretzel on the top, and bake for 8-10 minutes. 

When the cookies come out of the oven, sprinkle with a bit of sea salt and enjoy!

How To Store Lactation Cookies:

Store at room temperature in an air-tight container for 3-4 days. Freeze baked cookies flat in one layer in a Ziplock bag. 

You can also freeze dough balls. Place cookie dough balls on a parchment lined baking sheet and freeze for 30 minutes or so. Then place frozen dough in a Ziplock bag. Bake at the same temperature. Just place on parchment lined baking sheet.

Find More Delicious Desserts:

• Sourdough Chocolate Chip Cookies
• Cranberry Orange Cookies
• Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies
• Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies With Sourdough
• Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies

If you try this recipe and love it, I would love if you could come back and give it 5 stars! Tag me on Instagram @farmhouseonboone