Lactation Cookies (Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies)
When my family came to visit right after Isabelle was born, I was still trying to figure out the whole breastfeeding thing. So after reading online that oats help with milk production, my sister baked lactation cookies for me!
The name “lactation cookie” sounds weird, but it’s really just a hearty oatmeal cookie. My aunt thought that lactation cookies meant breast milk was used as an ingredient, which is definitely not the case (the point of these is to make more milk for the baby to eat, not the parents).
Oatmeal chocolate chip is one of my favorite cookie flavors, so I was excited to be a test taster. My sister baked 4 batches with different recipes to see which were best – I enjoyed this one adapted from How Sweet Eats.
Breastfeeding is no joke – it’s very painful, time consuming, and a lot of work. I asked my family and relatives for advice, and nearly all had given up and switched to formula from the start. I decided I would try give as much as breast milk as long as I could to Isabelle without stressing too much about it.
I myself was formula fed, and I think I turned out pretty fine!
Breastfeeding is not something that’s taught in medical school, and I knew nothing about it – I didn’t even know breast pumps existed before pregnancy. Luckily, great facebook groups, youtube, and online resources were so helpful. I spent a huge amount of time reading tips and tricks on my phone in a daze while I was feeding Isabelle around the clock day and night.
We’ve been lucky to make it to a few months so far in our breastfeeding journey. Isabelle has been growing like a champ, and B jokes that my milk is full of sugar and fat given how much ice cream, chocolate, and these cookies I eat.
Lactation Cookies
Ingredients
3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
5 tablespoons brewers yeast
3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
2 tablespoons chia seeds
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/4 teaspoon salt
12 tablespoons unsalted butter
4 tablespoons olive oil
1 1/2 cups sugar
1 large egg + 1 large egg yolk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
1 1/2 cups dark chocolate chips/chunks
1/2 cup unsweetened coconut flakes
Directions
Preheat the oven the 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, combine oats, flour, yeast, flaxseed, chia seeds, baking powder, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and oil on medium speed until creamy. Add in the sugar and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy. Add in the egg, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, beating until combined, about 2 to 3 minutes.
Gradually add in the dry ingredients from earlier, hand mixing until just combined. Stir in the chocolate chips and coconut flakes evenly.
Scoop the dough into 1-inch rounds and place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are just golden. Enjoy!
