Lactation Cookies

This weekend I made some cookies with a few lactation boosting ingredients.  I posted a pic on Facebook and got a few inquires about the recipe, so I’m posting it here.  There are a bazillion lactation cookie recipes out there you can find on Pinterest or via Google.  This one is similar to another cookie I make, just with some milk boosting extras.  I have also eaten another version of lactation cookie that was different than this that I liked a lot.  I may hunt down that recipe at some point.  I did not create this recipe, but I made enough modifications that it’s different than where I started.  :)

I don’t always do this, but it really satisfies my OCD tendencies to lay all the ingredients out like this before starting to mix.  :)

Ingredients:

1c (2 sticks) butter, softened (Mine happened to be salted; I don’t think it matters.)
1 1/2 cups sucanat (This is sugar that is much less refined than white sugar; you can also use half white sugar and half brown sugar.)
2T ground flax seed
4T water
2 eggs
1/2-1t vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour (Mine was freshly ground.)
1t baking soda
1t salt
1t cinnamon
3 cups rolled oats (I used old fashioned; I imagine quick cooking would also work fine, as would a mixture.)
1c chocolate chips
4T brewer’s yeast (also called nutritional yeast; I found it in the bulk section at HEB)
1c chopped pecans (optional)

To make:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Mix together the ground flax seed and water and let it sit for a few minutes.  Beat together butter and sugar well.  Add eggs and mix well.  Add flaxseed mix and vanilla and mix well.  (I just left my stand mixer on low while adding all these things in.) Mix together flour, brewer’s yeast, baking soda, cinnamon, and salt, then add mixture to wet ingredients.  Add oats, then nuts (if using), then chocolate chips, stirring after each addition.  Scoop onto cookie sheet using a cookie scoop (yay!) or two spoons, allowing a little space for them to spread.  Bake for 10-12 minutes, depending on how you like your cookies.  Let them sit for a couple of minutes, then remove to a cooling rack.

I think next time I may try throwing a little peanut butter in there (and maybe some banana?)  They’re hearty and pretty tasty and an excellent excuse to eat cookies! 

Oh, and for the record, the milk-boosting ingredients are the oats, flaxseed, and brewer’s yeast.  A friend commented that you could just add flax and the brewer’s yeast to a bowl of oatmeal for the same effect, and that’s a really good idea too.  :)

This recipe made lots of dough, so I froze most of it so I can make just a few cookies at a time.  To freeze, scoop the dough out with your cookie scoop onto a cookie sheet (really cram them on there), and put in the freezer overnight.  Once the balls of dough are frozen, remove them to a freezer bag, then thaw and bake as needed!