I have been lucky enough to breastfed all my children, which means I have breastfed for a total of 6 years! There were times though when I was worried about how much milk I was producing, so I went on a mission to find the tastiest lactation cookies around. The key ingredient is the brewer’s yeast. You cannot substitute this for any other kind of yeast. This is the most important ingredient in the recipe, it is high in B vitamins, as well as iron and protein. Not only is it said to help increase milk supply, it is also rumoured to help fight depression and fatigue. You can find it at any good health food shop. You can eat these cookies while you are either pregnant or breastfeeding, in fact, eating the raw cookie dough when breastfeeding can boost your supply even more! Don’t be scared to share the cookies with your family either, they are a nutritious snack for all – and they won’t start lactating, I promise!
Lactation Cookie Recipe
Ingredients
- 1 egg
- 3/4 cup raw sugar (if wanting to reduce sugar, you could try just 1/2 cup)
- 1 tablespoon vanilla (optional, for flavour)
- 1/2 cup virgin coconut oil
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 2 tablespoons of water
- 1 cup self-raising wholemeal flour (if you have plain flour, add 1/2 tsp baking powder)
- 1 teaspoon cinnamon (optional, for flavour)
- 2 tablespoons of brewers yeast (do not substitute with bakers yeast or any other yeast).
- 1/2 teaspoon salt
- 1 & 1/2 cups oats (get the thicker cut oats if you can)
- choc chips – I use dark choc chips as they take away the bitterness of the brewer’s yeast
Remember, DO NOT leave out or substitute the brewer’s yeast for any other products or yeasts… it’s one of the main ingredients that make them work. Nutritional yeast and bakers yeast are different.
Instructions
- In a large mixing bowl, cream the butter and sugar then add the egg and vanilla. Mix well.
- In a separate bowl, combine the flaxseed and water, let sit for a few minutes before adding to the mix.
- Add the dry ingredients (apart from the oats and chocolate chips) and mix well again.
- Finally, stir in the oats and choc chips.
- Make the cookies (I use a desert spoon as a rough size guide) and place them onto a lightly greased or lined baking tray. Flatten them a little with your fingers or a spatula – if you like a soft centre, don’t squish them down too much. If you like you can just make them into balls – I do this and love the soft centre!
- Bake for around 10-12 minutes depending on how well cooked/crunchy you like your biscuits – I prefer them a little soft and lightly cooked.
