So I was inspired to post this cookie recipe that I deemed on the Little Sproutings Facebook Page as “the best cookies I’ve ever had – even better than DoubleTree Hotel cookies!” after my friend asked for the recipe for her friend who delivered her babies 2.5 months early. I’m not even exaggerating, not even a little bit. They are THE BEST cookies I’ve ever had. They’re the kind that are a little crisp on the outside but soft and gooey on the inside. 

If you are a nursing mom, you more than likely have some intense cravings for goodies in almost all forms – burgers, croissants, huge sandwiches, and let’s be honest – cakes, brownies, cookies, chocolate… So why not make those goodies count toward your milk supply? 

Filled with milk supply-supportive brewer’s yeast, flaxseed, and rolled oats, these cookies pack a good punch of lactation power. There are other supplements you can take to increase your supply, but those (like fenugreek) aren’t evaluated by the FDA and the effects on babies – especially fragile NICU babies – are unknown. However, brewer’s yeast, flaxseed, and rolled oats are safe and I’d been given the OK in the past to donate my pumped milk while having consumed these ingredients. 

(A little on low supply: A lot of new moms think they have a low milk supply, but usually they don’t. If your baby is gaining weight appropriately and on breastmilk alone, you don’t have an issue with supply. For more on that, read KellyMom’s post here. It is not common for moms to have issues with milk supply – nature intended on moms to breastfeed.  There is a lot of propaganda and false information out there about moms having issues with supply – this is purely a money-making tactics of formula companies. Most often it is a latch or supplementation problem, where moms supplement breastfeeding with formula, which tells the body it doesn’t have to make more milk since baby isn’t taking it. 

I have never had an issue with my supply and was patient from the get-go knowing what to expect (only teaspoons amounts of colostrum to start, milk kicking in around 3-4 days postpartum), but I do like my sweets. Why not make them count?

These cookies are made with whole wheat flour, rolled oats, coconut oil instead of butter, 2x the amount of brewer’s yeast for typical lactation cookies, and milled blueberry flax seed. I would probably recommend eating  about 2 per day, but I gotta be honest, I ate 4.5 the day I made them. 

So without further delay: 

The Best Lactation Cookies You’ll Ever Eat (recipe adapted from Two Peas and Their Pod)

(Makes about 1.5 dozen 2-inch cookies, the author of Two Peas and Their Pod says they freeze well, too!)

1 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

2 Tbsp de-bittered brewer’s yeast (be generous! I got a huge can from Whole Foods for about $20 I think, but online it’s cheaper. Don’t get Nutritional Yeast, it has to be brewer’s yeast. It’s found in the health section)

1 Tbsp milled flaxseed (be generous; I used Trader Joe’s milled flaxseed with blueberries)

1/2 cup softened coconut oil (microwave for about 35 seconds)

2/3 c light brown sugar (I used organic)

1/4 c granulated sugar(I used organic)

2 eggs

1 tsp vanilla extract

2/3 cup rolled oats (I used Trader Joe’s organic rolled oats)

1 cup chocolate chips (I used semi-sweet, but to be healthier you can use dark chocolate)

1/2 cup raisins (or dried cranberries or really whatever you want!)

Sea salt for sprinkling, if desired

1. Preheat your oven to 350F and line your baking sheets with parchment paper or use a non-stick cookie mat. I ran out of parchment paper so I used non-stick foil. 
2. Mix the first six ingredients in a medium bowl.
3. In a separate large bowl, mix the coconut oil (if you accidentally melt it, it still works because that’s what I did, oops), brown sugar, granulated sugar, eggs, and vanilla with a hand or upright mixer and beat until smooth.
4. Gradually add the flour/flax/yeast mixture to the large bowl of wet ingredients while mixing on low speed, being careful not to overmix with your mixer. Turn it off once incorporated, we’re done with it.
5. Add the good stuff: oats, chocolate chips, and raisins, stirring with a spoon or mixing with your hands (I found this was a lot easier by hand). 
6. Form your mixture into balls of about 2-ish tablespoons each and place them 2″ apart on your baking sheet. They will definitely spread apart during baking. Sprinkle with sea salt, if you want. I did (at the suggestion of Two Peas and Their Pod and it makes them really good!
7. Bake for 15 minutes until they are slightly golden brown around the edges and soft in the middle.  

Remove baking pan from oven and let cool for a few minutes, then transfer to a cooling rack. I didn’t do this because I don’t have one, so I lifted the foil off of the baking pans and put them down on a cooler surface. 

Also, I’m using a toaster oven (ha, limitations of a broken oven that we aren’t going to pay to get replaced) so if I can make these babies successfully scrumptious in THERE, they are almost foolproof! 

Enjoy!