‘Mama Bear’ Lactation Cookies
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This easy recipe for our ‘Mama Bear’ Lactation Cookies is a simple yet effective way to provide essential nutrients for breastfeeding mothers to help boost their milk supply. By incorporating ingredients like oats, flaxseed, coconut oil and nutritional yeast, these cookies are not only delicious but also packed with nutritional benefits.
More oat recipes? You’ll be over the moon with these 30 Delicious Healthy Oat Recipes, these Super Healthy Raspberry Oatmeal Bars and these 24 Oatmeal Cookie Recipe Makeovers!
What are Lactation Cookies?
For nursing moms, making healthy choices for both you and your baby is important. But let’s face it, being a new mom can be exhausting and finding the time to prepare healthy snacks is not always easy. This is where these mama bear lactation cookies come in – a tasty and convenient solution that has gained popularity among nursing mothers. What better way to protect and nourish our babies? 🙂
These mama-bear cookies are loaded with specific ingredients that have been thoughtfully chosen to help increase milk supply. From oats and flaxseed to nutritional yeast, lactation cookies are packed with galactagogues, also known as milk-boosting ingredients, that are believed to support lactation and enhance the quantity and quality of breastmilk.
This thick and hearty, chewy oat chocolate chunk lactation cookies recipe is super easy to make! So, as a nursing mom, these will be great to have on hand or perfect for freezing for later. These are basically powered-up, super healthy oatmeal cookies, loaded with chocolate chunks. No eggs or mixer needed!
They taste amazing, per my daughter, who just had a baby girl, so she can attest, because I made her a batch. Full of flavor, not bland or boring at all and you can easily customize to your liking. I tested them as well, and yes, they are amazing!
Say goodbye to worry and hello to a full, satisfied baby. Give this best lactation cookie recipe a try and see the difference for yourself. After all, happy baby, happy mom!
Ingredients You Need
‘Mama Bear’ Lactation Cookies Recipe
- 4 tablespoons ground flaxseed meal
- 6 tablespoons water
- ⅓ cup coconut oil, melted and cooled
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar, we used organic Zulka brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 cup oat flour (pulse rolled oats in a food processor or blender to make oat flour, if you want gluten-free cookies, use certified gluten-free oats)
- ¼ cup rolled or quick oats, depending on texture you want in cookies
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour or spelt flour
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast or brewer’s yeast
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks or dark chocolate chips, for vegan or dairy-free option, use Enjoy Life
Instructions How to Make ‘Mama Bear’ Lactation Cookies
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix flaxseed and water in a small bowl and wait 10 minutes for it to thicken. While you wait, get everything else ready.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl, then whisk in thickened flaxseed mixture until smooth and well combined.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together oat flour, oats, almond flour, all-purpose flour, nutritional yeast, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.
Scooping & Baking the Lactation Cookies
- Stir mixture together until just combined, then fold in chocolate chips. If the dough is a bit sticky.
- Using a 1/4 cup cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and place your scoops onto prepared baking sheets spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly or leave as is, depending how thick you want your cookies and bake for 12-18 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Or you can try the easy trick of banging your cookie sheet a few times during baking, causing the cookies to “fall” and the chocolate to get all melty on top.
- Once baked, let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Storing Oat Chocolate Chunk Lactation Cookies
- Room Temperature: To keep these lactation cookies soft and chewy, store them in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 4 days. Place in fridge for up to a week for longer storage.
- Freezer: These also freeze well for up to 3 months. To store the dough, scoop or roll it into balls and freeze them briefly. Then, transfer the cookie dough balls to airtight containers or to ziploc bags and refrigerate or freeze. Bake your cookie dough straight from the fridge. If it’s frozen, allow it to rest for 15 minutes at room temperature before putting it in the oven to bake.
More Variations
- Substitute raisins to make oatmeal raisin cookies, or use a mix of both chocolate and raisins together. Or swap the raisins for dried cherries or cranberries.
- Add some crunch by adding some nuts or seeds for more protein like pecans, pepitas, hemp seeds walnuts or pistachios.
- Add a dash of cardamom, pumpkin spice or ginger to the dough for a flavor twist.
Many nursing mothers are turning to lactation cookies because they are looking for a natural and delicious way to increase their breast milk supply. While some may be skeptical about the effectiveness of these cookies, many mothers swear by them and have reported a noticeable increase in their milk production after incorporating them into their diet.
Aside from the potential milk-boosting benefits, lactation cookies also offer a sense of comfort and support for nursing mothers. The act of baking and eating these cookies can be a form of self-care, especially during the demanding and tiring postpartum period. And let’s not forget the emotional aspect – the feeling of taking proactive steps to provide the best for one’s child can be a huge confidence booster for new mothers.
In the end, whether you believe in the power of Oat Chocolate Chunk Lactation Cookies or not, there is no denying that they have sparked an interesting conversation among parents and experts alike. And for many nursing individuals, the decision to try this lactation cookies recipe comes down to the simple fact that they are willing to do whatever it takes to provide the best nutrition for their precious little ones. Go mama bears!
More Delicious Mama Bear Treats!
- 30 Mother’s Day Desserts for Mom!
- Hearty Oatmeal Pistachio Cookies with Cherries & White Chocolate
- 25 Mother’s Day Dessert Recipes
- Pumpkin White Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies
- Healthy Chocolate Peanut Butter Oatmeal Bars
'Mama Bear' Lactation Cookies
Ingredients
- 4 tablespoons flaxseed
- 6 tablespoons water
- ⅓ cup coconut oil melted and cooled
- ⅔ cup packed brown sugar we used organic Zulka brown sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- ¾ cup oat flour pulse rolled oats in a food processor or blender to make oat flour or sub with 1 cup oat flour + 2 Tablespoons rolled or quick oats instead of 1/4 cup
- ¼ cup rolled or quick oats depending on texture you want in cookies
- ½ cup almond flour
- ½ cup all-purpose flour
- 6 tablespoons nutritional yeast
- 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ⅛ teaspoon salt
- 1 cup dark chocolate chunks semi-sweet chocolate chunks or chocolate chips, I used Enjoy Life - Sugar-free but delish!
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350°F. Line two large baking sheets with parchment paper.
- Mix flaxseed and water in a small bowl and wait 10 minutes for it to thicken. While you wait, get everything else ready.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the coconut oil, brown sugar and vanilla in a large bowl, then whisk in thickened flaxseed mixture until smooth and well combined.
- In another medium bowl, whisk together oat flour, oats, almond flour, all-purpose flour, nutritional yeast, cinnamon, baking soda and salt. Add the dry mixture to the wet mixture.
- Stir mixture together until just combined, then fold in chocolate chips.
- Using a 1/4 cup cookie scoop, scoop the cookie dough and place your scoops onto prepared baking sheets spacing them about 2 inches apart. Flatten slightly or leave as is, depending how thick you want your cookies and bake for 12-18 minutes until golden brown around the edges. Or you can try the easy trick of banging your cookie sheet a few times during baking, causing the cookies to "fall" and the chocolate to get all melty on top.
- Once baked, let cookies cool on the baking sheet for 5 minutes then transfer to a wire rack to finish cooling.
Recipe slightly modified from Scientifically Sweet
