Bake up a special treat for the breastfeeding mothers in your life. Full of milk-boosting galactagogues, these lower-sugar easy homemade Lactation Cookies are delicious and beneficial! Don’t take it from me – take it from all the reviews stating this is the best lactation cookie recipe!
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Seven years ago, I shared this post for a lactation cookie recipe. I had been making them for friends and then started making them by request for other mothers in my neighborhood. Since I was baking so many batches, I thought I’d share the recipe – and had no idea that it would soon become one of the all-time most popular recipes on Bunsen Burner Bakery.
But I guess it makes sense because even if only a small subset of you are actually lactating, we all probably know someone who is. A friend, a family member, or a coworker. Your sister or niece or daughter. A neighbor, another mother in your child’s preschool class, a friend from the gym.
And thus, this recipe grew and grew – and it is high time for an update! New photos, new helpful tips, but the same great recipe that has been made tens of thousands of times and has over 700 5-star reviews.
While my own breastfeeding journies are over (once combined nursing and pumping with an undersupply, once exclusively pumping with a slight oversupply), I vividly remember all the challenges and struggles.
So here’s a virtual high five to all my fellow lactating mamas — whether your experience was wonderful and you nursed for 2 years, or your experience was disheartening and ended after 2 weeks — you did a great job. You are awesome.
So why not celebrate your breastfeeding friends by baking them a batch of these Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies? New moms deserve a treat.
What exactly ARE lactation cookies anyway (and do they even work)? Lactation cookies are full of galactagogues. Some people swear they work; others say no way.
Kitchen Chemistry
Galactagogues are substances that help increase mammalian milk production. Galactagogues can be synthetic prescription medications or natural food substances.
Common galactagogues include oatmeal, fenugreek, brewer’s yeast, marshmallow root, blessed thistle, alfalfa leaves, fennel, and goat’s rue. I took all of these in combination for months in an attempt to boost my supply, in addition to “power hour” pumping sessions, pumping in the middle of the night, and nursing as frequently as I could on weekends.
Did the galactagogues help? It’s quite possible that it is all a placebo effect, but I did notice a boost in supply when I took them all in tandem.
Most women, however, don’t have quite as big of an issue with supply as I did. Lactation cookies include some of the aforementioned galactagogues in smaller doses, with the goal of adding a little supply boost.
My issue with most lactation cookie recipes is that they are really just… cookies. An oatmeal chocolate chip cookie batter with 1 tablespoon of flaxseed divided among 2 dozen cookies is really just a cookie. Breastfeeding hanger is REAL, so if you want a cookie, have a cookie!
But if we’re going to convince ourselves that it’s a beneficial cookie, don’t we want it to be overflowing with galactagogues? But inversely – we still want it to taste good, right? If it’s not enjoyable to eat, why bother?
After baking over two dozen test trials, I finally settled on what I’m declaring to be the BEST lactation cookies! It has less sugar than my typical oatmeal cookie recipe (but it’s still a cookie – definitely not a health food!).
I’ve packed it full with as much oatmeal, brewer’s yeast, and flaxseed as possible without severely impacting flavor. And of course, I added a few chocolate chips because… obviously.
Most of the ingredients in here are what you’d find in normal chocolate chip cookies: butter, sugar, flour, eggs, etc.
Let’s talk about what makes these lactation cookies — and where to find some of these ingredients!
Really, it’s no different than making regular chocolate chip cookies.
And if a picture is worth a thousand words, then a video is probably worth what, ten thousand?
So here’s a video to show you exactly how to make this oatmeal lactation cookie recipe!
This is a common question I am asked a lot. The answer is that there is no real answer.
Lactation cookies are just that… cookies! It’s not a regulated FDA medication with a set dosage. Not every woman responds to galactagogues, and those who do respond differently. Women have different needs when it comes to increasing supply; some are looking to boost one or two ounces per day, while some are hoping to up by 10 ounces.
My advice is to start with one or two and see if it helps. I will say, however, that I had a friend eat a dozen all at once and then say she pumped 11 oz more than ever before the next day!
Let’s start with: I am not a lactation consultant. But I do have lots of experience building my own supply, so I’ll share. I get a lot of questions on this post about non-cookie ways to make more milk.
Absolutely! The chocolate chips just add flavor and can be substituted with chopped nuts, shredded coconut, or dried fruit (like cherries, cranberries, blueberries, or raisins).
These cookies freeze perfectly. Once cooled, transfer to a freezer-safe airtight bag andfreeze for up to 3 months.
No! Don’t worry, dads – there’s nothing harmful about eating these cookies if you’re not lactating, aside from having to tell your wife you ate all her cookies. Good thing you have this lactation cookie recipe now, so you can bake her more.
I purchase my brewer’s yeast and ground flaxseed directly from Amazon for easy delivery, but you can usually find one or both at health food stores as well.
Looking for an allergy friendly lactation cookie made without dairy, soy, eggs, nuts, or gluten? Check out my Allergy Friendly (Vegan, Gluten-Free) Lactation Cookie recipe!
Bake up a special treat for the breastfeeding mothers in your life. Full of milk-boosting galactagogues, these lower-sugar Lactation Cookies are delicious and beneficial!
A Bunsen Burner Bakery Original Protocol
As an Amazon Associate and member of other affiliate programs, I earn from qualifying purchases.
This recipe was originally posted on August 4, 2016 and republished with updated pictures and helpful tips on August 4, 2022.