Lactation cookies for new mamas
When a friend or family member has a newborn baby, I’m always excited to stop by and take them a meal or some snacks and goodies. Some of my favorite baby meals are here, and here are two items that usually make an appearance: Mother’s Milk tea and lactation cookies.
When Liv was first born, Heather sent us a beautiful package with homemade goodies and these lactation cookies. They were EVERYTHING. I was already doing everything in my power to boost milk supply, and to have a snack, that I didn’t have to make, was all that my sleep-deprived face could wish for. I remember shoving a cookie in my mouth, starving and exhausted, and feeling so thankful to my blog buddy for sending such a wonderful gift.
Since then, they’ve been my go-to for friends and relatives with new babies. They’re packed with healthy fats (awesome for creating thick, nutritious milk), oats, and Brewer’s yeast to promote production. Oh, and they have chocolate. I jokingly offered some to Tom. He winked, took a bite, and squeezed his chest.
Over time I’ve tweaked the recipe a bit, and many of my Instagram friends have asked me to post the updated recipe. I decreased the butter content so they would hold together a little more, and also added hemp seeds, which give an awesome texture and extra boost of healthy fats.
Here’s the recipe if you’d like to surprise a mama friend, or make them for yourself!
Lactation cookies
A sweet and nutritious cookie with ingredients that could help boost milk supply. If anything, they taste delicious.
- Prep Time: 5
- Cook Time: 10
- Total Time: 15
Ingredients
- 2 cups of old-fashioned oats (for gluten-free, use certified gluten-free oats)
- 1 cup almond meal
- 2 tablespoons chia seeds
- 2 tablespoons Brewer’s yeast (optional)
- 1/2 cup hemp seeds
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/4 teaspoon baking sode
- 6 tablespoons butter, melted
- 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
- pinch of sea salt
- 1/2 cup maple syrup
- 1 egg
- 1/2 teaspoon vanilla
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350 and grease two standard cookie sheets with olive oil or nonstick spray.
- In a large bowl, combine the oats, almond meal, chia, Brewer’s yeast (if using), hemp seeds, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and sea salt. Whisk to combine.
- In a separate bowl, whisk the maple syrup, egg, butter and vanilla.
- Add the wet mixture to the dry mixture and stir in the chocolate chips.
- Using a tablespoon or melon ball scooper, making cookie shapes onto the cookie sheets.
- Bake for 10 minutes until set. Allow to cool completely before wrapping up to give to a mom friend, or store in the freezer as an awesome snack.
xoxo
Gina
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Where do you get Brewer’s Yeast?
They have it on amazon! But you can find it at local health food stores, too. Whole Foods will have it and Fruitful Yields.
Brewer’s Yeast Flakes 12.35 oz Pwdr https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HWS2P2Y/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_le79ub0W43FV9
https://www.amazon.com/dp/B00HWS2P2Y/ref=cm_sw_r_awd_le79ub0W43FV9
So if you took lactation out of the title, you’d feel like you were eating a regular cookie. Right? 🙂 hehhee
exaaaaactly
Love the idea of bringing these to a new mama. I don’t have children, so I always struggle with how to do meaningful things for friends who give birth. I appreciate the tip!
Any kind of cookies are great in my book…lactation inducing or otherwise! Thanks for sharing 🙂
I love that you do this for the new and repeat mamas in your life. What a thoughtful gesture that they appreciate more than words can describe I bet!
<3!
Thank you so much for sharing this – it’s exactly what I needed right now! I’m currently lactating 😉 and looking to amp up my supply some. Perfect timing. And since your recipies never fail, I’m sure these will be great! Would you mind sharing what kind of mothers milk tea you like? I’d like to try that too!
hope you love them! here’s the tea: http://www.traditionalmedicinals.com/products/mothers-milk/ they have it at target
Awesome!
Thank goodness for you Gina! I have been looking thru blog posts to find these babies! I am due a month from now and can’t wait to make these and stock up for after the big day when I am in need of a little treat! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!!!! 🙂
yay, hope you enjoy them!
also, SO EXCITED FOR YOU!
I am 18 weeks preg with my first baby (GIRL!)! Would these be good to start eating now and potentially increase my suply for after birth??
Thank you for your blog!!! 🙂
i’m not sure? if anything, they’ll be a delicious healthy treat!
Woo hoo, i have a new mama in my life and need to make these for her! If i leave out the brewers yeast (cannot find it ANYWHERE here, not even WF)….will they still help with milk production you think?
From what I’ve read, Brewers yeast is the key with these. Otherwise they are just cookies 🙂 You can get it on Amazon!
oats and the healthy fats help, too, so i think it’s ok to skip if you don’t have it on hand
Cool good to know. Thanks, Gina!
definitely! oats and healthy fats are helpful for that too
Ohh saving this to make for a friend of mine who’s pregnant with baby number two! 😀
Is this cookie recipe freezeable? Wanted to make a batch to freeze before the new baby comes.
they freeze beautifully!
I’m not lactating, can I still make them and eat them? Is brewer’s yeast okay to consume if you are a lady not producing milk? That sounds weird but I had to ask! “Tom took a bite, winked and squeezed his chest” ….can’t stop laughing.
hahaha you totally can!
This might be a dumb question, but is Brewer’s yeast different from nutritional yeast?
not a dumb question at all. yes, they’re different. they have different nutritional benefits and flavors. brewer’s yeast has a slightly bitter taste, while the nutritional yeast has a cheesy flavor
Oooo! What a great idea! And recipe! Totally saving this for the next time I get to visit a new baby and mama! Thanks!
Thanks so much for sharing! My co-worker is due on June and I’ll be sure to make her a batch of these!
Just wondering if you’ve ever just made them into bars? 🙂 I want to make a few batches for myself & freeze them since I’m starting to stock pile meals for June!
i haven’t. let me know if they turn out!
These happened over the weekend. So good, not too sweet. Delicious straight from the freezer with my afternoon latte.
Is the butter called for salted or unsalted?
unsalted
I don’t have hemp seeds. Can I leave them out? Or is there anything else I can substitute?
Hi Gina, I’m about to make these but don’t have almond meal. I’m wondering if subbing in regular flour is fine instead? Thanks for the recipe!!
These cookies are really tasty, I made them exactly according to the recipe only leaving out the hemp seeds (because Trader Joe’s didn’t have them). Just wondering, are they supposed to be kind of soft even after they have cooled? I’m wondering if I needed to bake mine longer or maybe just keep them in the fridge so they don’t fall apart. Thanks!
so happy you liked them!! you can use extra oats instead of the hemp seeds. yes, they stay pretty soft so i keep them in the freezer
Hello! I made these last week they were amazing! One question though, I omitted brewer’s yeast because I did not have any, could that be the reason my cookies were falling apart :-/ ? Any ideas?
Thank you!!!
maybe add a little oat flour or almond meal instead?
You talk about freezing the cookies – do you freeze the dough or do you freeze the cookies once they are already baked??
This recipe looks awesome! Do you know if I can sub almond flour for the almond meal? I don’t have any meal on hand. Thanks! 🙂
Perfect Recipe!!
so happy to hear you like it! thank you for the review 🙂
Can I add protein powder if so how much
yep! you can add a scoop – the mix is a bit dry, so you might want to reduce the oats a tiny bit so they still have a good texture