This lactation cookie recipe balances healthy and indulgent perfectly. Sweet, salty, chewy, and crunchy, these delicious cookies hit every craving and are perfect for a postpartum mama.
Everyone loves a good cookie, and moms are no different! These lactation cookies are more than just a sweet treat—they’re thoughtfully crafted with nourishing, milk-boosting ingredients like oats, flaxseed, and brewer’s yeast to support breastfeeding moms in the most delicious way.
With a simple swap in the main ingredients, you get the best lactation cookie recipe. It strikes the perfect balance of comfort, nutrition, and ease.
No hard-to-find ingredients, no complicated steps—just real, pantry-friendly key ingredients that work as hard as mom. Middle of the night feedings are a bit easier with a delicious lactation cookie to look forward to!
No matter if the new baby is your first child or your sixth, one thing doesn’t change—new parents, especially new moms, need meals and snacks make with whole foods and essential nutrients.
Healthy milk supply depends on a healthy mama. These easy lactation cookies are the perfect quick snack filled with the best foods for a breastfeeding mom.
Instead of regular cookies, try a batch of these cookies—the best lactation cookies recipe. It’s the perfect treat to take to a first time mom or to make for yourself. If you need more delicious cookie recipes, try our favorite sourdough discard monster cookies, sourdough peanut butter cookies, or cranberry orange cookies.
Why You’ll Love This Recipe
Milk-boosting – With brewers yeast, flax seed, and rolled oats- all known to support lactation, these cookies are more than the perfect snack; they’re a little boost for nursing moms, baked right in. If you’re having supply issues, try adding these important ingredients to your diet.
Wholesome ingredients – Packed with nutrients like fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, and healthy fats and protein, this recipe is what a nursing mom needs. These easy lactation cookies keep mom nourished and satisfied during long days (and nights) of feeding and caring for a little one. While they’re intended to support breastmilk supply, they are so delicious that the whole family will love them.
Easy to make – This is a great recipe because it is simple–if you can make chocolate chip cookies, you can make these. This lactation recipe uses pantry staples you can find at a local grocery store and a simple process.
Ingredients
Flour – You can substitute up to half with whole wheat flour.
Brewer’s Yeast – Ideally, use de-bittered brewer’s yeast. The addition of nut butter helps to mask the slightly bitter flavor of the brewer’s yeast. This is an 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.
Oats – Choose rolled or old fashioned oats. We love these for making oatmeal cookies as well.
Walnuts – Macadamia nuts would be delicious as well.
Chocolate chunks or chocolate chips – You can also use dark chocolate.
Nut butter – I like almond butter, but you can sub any nut butter you like.
Butter – I like to use unsalted butter. You could also use coconut oil.
Brown sugar – You could substitute coconut sugar.
A full ingredient list with exact amounts can be found in the recipe card below.
Tools You May Need
Stand mixer or large bowl with hand mixer
Cookie scoop (optional)
How to Make This Lactation Cookie Recipe
Step 1: Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except the chocolate chunks and crushed pretzels.
Step 2: In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar until light and fluffy, about 2 – 3 minutes.
Step 3: Add the eggs and nut butter, and mix until well combined.
Step 4: Add the dry ingredients in thirds, mixing until just incorporated.
Step 5: Fold in the chocolate chunks and crushed pretzels. (If the dough is too soft to scoop, chill it for 20–30 minutes to firm up.)
Step 6: Scoop 3-tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet, spacing about 9 balls of cookie dough per sheet. Lightly press each ball down. (For more uniform cookies, weigh each dough ball to 40 grams.) Top with a few extra chocolate chunks and pretzel pieces.
Step 8: Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until the edges are set and centers are still slightly gooey. They’ll firm up as they cool. If desired, use a wide cup to gently scoot the cookies into perfect circles right after baking.
Tips
- If the dough is a bit wet to roll the cookies, you can put the batter in the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes.
- 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.
- 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.
Recipe FAQs
Brewer’s yeast, flaxseed, and oats are the ingredients with the most nutrients known to improve breast milk supply.
There haven’t been any scientific studies to show if lactation cookies really work, but many moms swear by them.
While not 100% necessary, brewer’s yeast is great for milk supply. It is used in the production of beer and bread but is also considered a health food by many.
These are considered healthier than normal cookies, so most women reach for them when they feel like their milk supply is low or inadequate. 2-3 cookies a day is usually enough, but you can always check with your lactation consultant.
More Recipes from the Farmhouse
- Sourdough Snickerdoodle Cookies
- Chewy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies With Sourdough
- Einkorn Chocolate Chip Cookies
- Easy Granola Cookies
- Sourdough Discard Thumbprint 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
The Best Lactation Cookies
Ingredients
Dry Ingredients:
- 2 ¼ cups all purpose flour
- 3 tablespoons Brewer’s Yeast
- ½ teaspoon salt
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 2 teaspoons baking powder
- 2 cups rolled oats, also known as old fashioned oats
- ½ cup chopped walnuts
- 1 ¼ cups chocolate chips, or chocolate chunks
- 1 cup mini pretzels, crushed
Wet ingredients:
- 1 ¼ cups softened butter, 285 grams
- 1 ¼ cups brown sugar, tightly packed
- 2 large eggs
- ⅓ cup nut butter, I used peanut butter
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350° Fahrenheit and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- In a medium bowl, whisk together all dry ingredients except the chocolate chunks and crushed pretzels.
- In a stand mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, cream the butter and brown sugar on low speed until light and fluffy, about 2–3 minutes.
- Add the eggs and nut butter, and mix until well combined.
- Add the dry ingredients in thirds, mixing until just incorporated.
- Fold in the chocolate chunks and crushed pretzels. (If the dough is too soft to scoop, chill it for 20 – 30 minutes to firm up.)
- Scoop 3-tablespoon-sized balls of dough onto a prepared baking sheet, spacing about 9 balls of cookie dough per sheet. Lightly press each ball down. (For more uniform cookies, weigh each dough ball to 40 grams.)
- Top with a few extra chocolate chunks and pretzel pieces.
- Bake for 8 – 10 minutes, until the edges are set and centers are still slightly gooey. They’ll firm up as they cool.
- If desired, use a wide cup to gently scoot the cookies into perfect circles right after baking.
Notes
- Please double check amounts when using the multiplying feature in the recipe card.
- If the dough is a bit wet to roll the cookies, you can put the batter in the fridge for 20 – 30 minutes.
- 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.
- Store at room temperature in an airtight 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.
Nutrition
Nutrition information is automatically calculated, so should only be used as an approximation.
I made these cookies for myself about a week before my due date. I froze a double batch after baking and would enjoy 1-2 daily. It was such an easy delicious treat! My friend and my sister in law just had babies and I’m making these a part of the meal I deliver for them. These cookies are just so good and nutrient dense. Thank you for the recipe!!
I don’t have spelt. Have you tried this with fresh milled einkorn or soft white? Wondering what would turn out the best and what would be the best nutritionally. Thanks!
Best tasting lactation cookies I’ve had yet! They definitely work. I noticed a significant difference in milk production. My family loves them too! I long fermented using your instructions and used soft white wheat berries. I love how much I’m learning from you (my family does too). So good! Thanks Lisa!
I have made this recipe 3 times now, it my favorite lactation cookie recipe! Thank you!
Hi! I’m wanting to make a few batches of these for my sister in law who is due soon. Couple of questions – she is incredibly sensitive to dairy and eggs. Is there something I can use in place of the butter and eggs that wouldn’t mess them up? Additionally, would it be best to freeze these before or after baking?
Thanks!
I pre-made these in a double batch before I had my third kid. Freeze them in bags, then warm them up in a toaster oven for 5 minutes. Would eat this and a cup of peppermint tea after all kiddos went to bed – great reward for the day!
When my mom would come over, she kept on asking to bring a bag home because she liked them so much!
I can tell a difference in milk, from when I stopped eating the cookies. Now I ‘take one daily’ like a supplement 🙂
Would there be a way to make these into sourdough? Or would that ruin the recipe?
I have a recipe on how to convert to sourdough!
Where can I find the sourdough lactation cookie recipe?
This is the only lactation cook recipe that I have!
How manny cookies should th,is make? 12 is much more than approx 2 tbsps. I made 16 and they were still huge and baked another 7 minutes. Thoughts?
I usually say around 18!
I make this recipe a lot. I keep the cookies in the house while I am breastfeeding my baby. I get the laundry done, and it is a nice reward for me. I did try this last batch with 3 whole eggs. I want to know the reason for 2 whole eggs and 1 egg yoke. Thank you in advance!
The egg yolk is more nutrient dense and has a lot of essential vitamins needed.