Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

These hearty oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies have some added perks for those of us moonlighting as dairy cows. I highly recommend whipping up a double batch and freezing the dough for as-needed lactation cookie fixes.

About a month ago I made a double batch of these oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies. I baked a couple dozen and froze the rest in scoops.

It sounds nice to say I was thinking ahead and knew I would want to bake fresh cookies rather than eat frozen baked cookies. But really I was just very pregnant and very tired.

My exhaustion paid off though. I do love that I can have an oatmeal cookie with gooey, melty chocolate, fresh out of the oven in less than 20 minutes.

Anyhow, these oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies are great just as cookies. I served them to my parents and didn’t say boo about the lactation part.

Sure, they have some extra nutrients from the flax seeds and brewer’s yeast. The oats provide some wonderful carbs for milk production. But non-lactators really can’t tell.

Just like the lactation bites (that I also made and froze), these cookies are perfect for sustaining the whole family through those first few weeks of figuring everything out with a newborn.

I know I said this, but I just have to say it again: Double the recipe and freeze the dough. Warm oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies are the perfect gift – for a friend or yourself. You’ll be so glad you did.

Ingredients

• Butter – Margarine will also work, though butter gives such great flavor to baked goods. Some infants don’t tolerate dairy well, so if this is your situation, use a good margarine that doesn’t have any milk protein. Country Crock Plant Butter sticks tend to work well. Miyokos vegan butter also has a very real buttery flavor (if you can swallow the price tag).
• Coconut oil – This adds a really nice, subtle coconut flavor that goes really well with the oats.
• Granulated sugar – These are cookies, after all.
• Brown sugar – Brown sugar keeps the cookies soft.
• Egg + egg yolk – Helps bind all the goodness together. Egg yolks also have choline, which is needed in higher amounts during lactation. Don’t expect to meet the day’s need with cookies, but every little bit helps.
• Vanilla extract – Rounds out all the cookie flavors.
• Brewer’s yeast – A nutrient-dense food with some potential benefits for breastfeeding. It doesn’t impact the flavor of the cookies, so why not?
• Cinnamon – Oatmeal cookies just aren’t the same without cinnamon.
• Ground flax seeds – A nice dose of fiber that blends riiiiight in.
• All-purpose flour – Provides part of the body of the cookie.
• Baking powder – Leavening.
• Baking soda – Leavening
• Oats – Provides more of the body of the cookie. Oats are also one of the best-known galactagogues.
• Chocolate – I like to use a combination of milk chocolate chips and semisweet, but anything will work here. If you’re avoiding dairy, you can get Nestle’s allergen-free chocolate chips. These are my personal favorite, but there are other brands (like Enjoy Life) that have dairy-free chocolate chips as well.

Equipment

• Stand mixer – This is a hefty dough. A hand mixer will work if you stir the oats in by hand, but a stand mixer (we like our KitchenAid) makes it a lot easier. For a double batch, the stand mixer is definitely the way to go. Add the oats gradually for a double batch. Depending on the mixer, you may need to stir some in by hand.
• Coffee/spice grinder – We use this grinder to grind our own flax seeds, but you can purchase them already ground too.
• Cookie scoop – We’re not fooling around here. These are decently-sized cookies, so we use the 2-tablespoon scoop.
• Silicone liners – We use these so much, for both baking and flash freezing. When I made a double batch of these cookies, I froze most of the dough in balls on a baking pan with one of these silicone liners.

How to Make

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.
2. In a large bowl or bowl of stand mixer, cream together the butter, coconut oil, and both kinds of sugar. Add the egg and egg yolk, and beat well. Add the vanilla and mix to combine.
3. Add the brewer’s yeast, cinnamon, ground flax seed, flour, baking soda, and baking powder to the bowl. Mix to combine, scraping down the sides of the bowl occasionally.
4. Add oats to the bowl and mix to incorporate (if using a stand mixer.) If using a hand mixer, stir oats in by hand using a sturdy wooden spoon or spatula.
5. Stir in the chocolate chips, mixing well to incorporate.
6. Scoop dough onto a lined baking sheet using a 2-tablespoon scoop.
7. Bake dough at 350 degrees F for 10-14 minutes, or until cookies are just lightly browned and no longer look doughy. See notes for how to freeze dough.

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