Disclaimer- These cookies can be eaten by anyone, they are packed with nutrients and goodness that is particularly useful for new mothers, if you are not lactating you wont start lactating with these cookies. Just putting it out there :)
Hello Guys! I am here after such a long time. I took a long break to re-arrange things in my life but I am back to blogging with a brilliant recipe, I promise. But to begin with, have you heard of Lactation Cookies? I hadn’t till I needed it. While I was breastfeeding my LO, I was browsing online for natural supplements or foods that act as galactagogues. There were things like natural Mothers tea, mothers smoothie, brownie and of course cookies! There is a ton on information online but sometimes it can get too much, too many ideas and sometimes they don’t work. But every now and then, you come upon a stellar recipe or a stellar technique that makes you SO happy- this is one such recipe.
So, after my research I narrowed my options to Mothers Tea and Lactation cookies because, I felt although the other options sounded useful, these two options seemed more doable and sustainable. You can always make a mix of Mothers Tea and store it in a jar and use as needed. Similarly, the cookies can be baked and stored in a jar for a few days and if you bake large batches they freeze really well. As a new mother there is a lot of work as it is, any shortcut helps and this is a good one!
Does it work???
Well, in short it does! It worked for me and a few friends I have shared this recipe with. I have shared it with women in breastfeeding groups that had trouble with their milk supply and I have been told it was useful to them. There are ingredients in this cookie such as Oats, Brewers Yeast, Flax seeds, Coconut Oil that are known as Galactogogues. Galactagogues are substances that stimulate and increase breast milk. The ones used in these cookies are safe to use for daily use but if you have any concern you can always ask your Doctor about it. My cousin baked a batch for me when she came to visit me and my LO and I found a huge difference and was able to feed my child a lot more than before. So, the next time I baked these cookies, I tweaked a few things based on my taste and the information I found online and that’s the recipe I am sharing today.
Is it tasty???
It is really yummy! I had to tell my friends that only a new mother could eat them to keep them from finishing my cookie stash! :) But honestly, the oats make the cookie crunch and the chocolate chips that make it such a yummy treat for the new Mama.
What variations can be made?
I used 1 cup of chocolate chips in these cookies but you could do half chocolate chips and half nuts or use dried fruits and nuts and leave the chocolate chip out completely. It’s really up to you. Dried coconut flakes + white chocolate chips + dried cranberries would be one killer combination, don’t you think?
How much to eat these cookies and how to store them?
I ate 2 cookies everyday with my tea in the evening. you could eat one in the morning and one in the evening if you like. I don’t know the effect if you eat more than 2 cookies but do your research before you try anything new. Or better, ask your Doctor if you are OK to have these. Generally speaking, the ingredients are completely safe and often recommended by lactation consultants and nurses but err in the side of caution, always. About storage, I recommend keeping about 12-14 cookies at room temperature in a closed jar. The remaining baked cookies, I would freeze for later use. You can easily free these cookies for a month. You can even scoop out the cookie batter and place in a flat tray and freeze that if you like. That way, the major work is done and then you could just baked as many as you need.
Now for the recipe,
I have adapted this recipe from All recipes
Number of Cookies– 36-40 cookies.
Prep time- 15 minutes
Total time- 25 minutes
Ingredients-
- All purpose flour- 2 cups or 250 grams
- Rolled Oats (old fashioned oats, not 1-minute oats)- 2 1/2 cups or 220 grams
- Ground Flax seed- 3 Tbsp
- Brewers yeast- 1/4 cup
- Butter- 1 cup or 227 grams —Room temp
- Water- 1/4 cup
- White sugar- 1 cup or 200 grams
- Brown sugar- 1/2 cup or 110 grams
- Egg yolks- 3 large
- Vanilla extract- 2 tsp
- Baking soda- 1 tsp
- Salt- 1 tsp
- Chocolate chips- 1 cup or 175 grams
- Coconut oil- 2 tbsp (optional)
NOTE 1. I portioned out the cookie dough using a small cookie scoop, like this small cookie scoop
NOTE 2. Remember, this matters because if you are using a spoon or you are roughly measuring it, the sizes of these cookies will be different and they will bake differently. Also, you get this crinkly looking cookie when you directly scoop the dough and place it on the baking sheet. If you take the portioned cookie dough and roll it between your palms the texture of the cookie when baked will be smooth. I did it both ways and I personally prefer the crinkly crunchy texture so I just scoop the cookie dough and place it on the greased pan to bake.
Procedure:
- Preheat oven to 350 F or 175 degree C for 20 minutes. ( I always preheat my oven for 20 minutes instead of the standard 10 minutes as this is a trick I learnt from Rose Levy Beranbaum after reading her book. She is a celebrated Cookbook author and I believe her :) )
- In a bowl add the flaxseed meal and water and let it soak for 5 minutes.
- Cream the sugars and butter in a big bowl until they are light and creamy- around 4 minutes using a hand blended.
- Add the vanilla, egg yolks, coconut oil and flaxseed mixture to the creamed sugar and butter mixture. Mix well to incorporate. ( the flaxseed mixture is going to look gloopy and that’s how it should look)
- To the above mixture add the sifted flour, salt, brewers yeast, baking soda in batches and mix well with spatula. ( I do this all in a big bowl to avoid cleaning another bowl but you could have a bowl for dry ingredients and then gradually add it to the wet ingredients.)
- Now add the oats and chocolate chips into the dough and fold them in using a spactuala. ( Oats is added at this stage so that it doesn’t soak the moisture from the wet ingredients and become gooey and soft.) Also, do not beat or use a strong arm while folding the oats into the cookie mixture or you will lose the lovely crunchy texture of the oats, it can get pasty as well.
- Use a cookie scoop and scoop out walnut sized cookie balls and place them on a silicone mat or baking sheet. They need to be spaced at least 2 inches apart so they don’t merge into each other while baking. These cookies spread a lot so they need their space. I have a half sheet pan and I baked 12 cookies (3 rows, 4 cookies in each)
- Bake these cookies till they are golden, around 10-12 minutes. Do not bake for over 12 minutes, you may feel they are not baked fully but they are. They will look crisp from the outside but in the center they will be soft and that’s how it is supposed to be.
- Once the cookies are baked, let them cool for a couple of minutes and then transfer to a wire rack. You need to move them to a wire rack so they don’t have soggy/soft bottoms. And then it’s DONE!
I really like these cookies and I’m sure you guys will enjoy it too. If you try them, write back to me- I would love to hear from you:)
Lots of love,
Susan 
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article sponsered by Northern Michigan certified lactation consulting and Mother Hubbards Country Cupboard
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