Chewy oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate chunks and crunchy walnuts. Nutritional yeast, chia seeds, and flax seeds added for breastfeeding support. Makes 18 large cookies.
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Somehow I made it to my third pregnancy without trying lactation cookies. That was partially because I was blessed with an excellent milk supply (a superpower I do not take for granted). Though I also assumed any baked good with medicinal attributes wouldn’t be worth eating. I was wrong.
When I had noticed a drop in my supply when my third baby was having a growth spurt, I text my mom friends for advice. One of my friends brought over her favorite lactation cookies, swearing by them. They were not only delicious but I swear by them now too. I was surprised also to find that they reminded me of my mom’s famous Chocolate Chip Oatmeal Cookies, aka: the cookies that raised me.
I asked for the recipe (as I do with all new recipes I love) to see what was added. One look told me they weren’t so different from my mom’s recipe, so I set to trying to make a version based on that. After a couple of tries and adjustments to the mix-ins, I settled on this combination and have been making it for myself and friends who also love them.
These ones are particularly good when stored in the refrigerator, which makes them extra chewy, but you can store in the freezer so you have them when you need them.
What is a galactologue? Unfortunately there isn’t a ton of scientific evidence to support the concept of a food or herb causing a direct increase in milk supply (I blame the patriarchal control of research funding combined with a lack of interest in women’s health research), though there is a great deal of cultural and historical practices of using certain foods to impact milk supply.
Generally, foods considered to be galactologues are whole grains, oats, brewer’s yeast (a byproduct of brewing beer), fennel, and leafy greens. Whether or not we have proof they impact milk supply, they are all great things to incorporate as apart of a balanced diet, so you certainly can’t lose by eating them.
Either way, these cookies have more fiber and protein (from the oats, walnuts, and seeds) than a typical cookie and are a great treat when you’re burning hundreds of calories a day feeding a baby.
If you try this recipe, please give it a rating and a review so other people can find it too!
Ingredients
1 cup (226gr, 16tbl) Unsalted Butter
1 cup (210gr) Brown sugar, packed
½ cup (100gr) White sugar
3 Large Egg Yolks
1 1/8 teaspoon Sea Salt
1 teaspoon Vanilla Extract
½ teaspoon Baking Powder
½ teaspoon Baking Soda
175 grams All-Purpose Flour (1 cup 3 tablespoons)
125 grams Rolled Oats (1 ¼ cup)
¼ cup Nutritional or Brewers Yeast
2 tablespoons Flax seeds or Hemp Seeds
2 tablespoons Chia seeds
10 oz Dark Chocolate Chunks
¾ cup Walnut pieces, raw
Step-by-Step Recipe:
Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C), and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper. You will need a third cookie sheet, but you can wait for one of them to cool and reuse it.
Cut the butter cold from the refrigerator into 1/2” cubes and add to the mixer with both sugars. Mix on low until it starts to clump up, then turn mixer to medium & mix for five minutes until the mixture reaches a soft caramel color. You may need to stop and scrape the bowl 1-2 times.
Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract one at a time and mix until incorporated.
Add the baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt*, and mix on low for 15 seconds.
Then add the flour, flax seed, nutritional yeast, chia seeds, oats, and mix for another thirty seconds to a minute on low. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure there aren't any pockets of flour.
When the dry ingredients are almost all mixed in, add the chocolate chunks and walnut pieces. Mix on low until evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Do not over mix.
Using a 1/4 cup spring release scoop, evenly place 6 dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. You can bake two sheets at a time.
Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through and switching racks for even baking. Cookies are done when the center only is slightly shiny in the crevices, and the edges have just started to brown. They will have spread quite a bit.
Scoot the cookies by rotating around them edges using the rim of a 5” bowl (see picture for before and after).
Cool for 5-10 minutes before eating, and use a spatula to remove the cookies from the tray.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can this recipe be doubled?
The original version of this recipe is doubled, but I scaled it down so that it can be made in most standard home mixers. If you want to double it, be sure you have at least a 6 quart size mixer.
Can I make these cookies smaller?
Yes, just use a 2 tablespoon scoop, and bake for about 8 minutes, rotating halfway through. You can bake 18 cookies to a pan.
Can I make this ahead of time?
The cookies still taste fresh for about 72 hours after baking, but the cookie dough does not freeze well because of the oats. If you want to make them ahead, they do store well fully baked in the freezer in an airtight container. You can eat from frozen if your teeth are strong enough or you can put in the microwave for about 15 seconds to thaw them out. I actually love how they taste after being refrigerated because it makes them chewy.
Can this recipe be made gluten-free?
I have not made this recipe with gluten-free flour, but I have had great success with Bob’s Red Mill 1:1 Gluten-Free Baking Flour with my other Scooted Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe.
Can I make this with raisins instead of chocolate chips?
I love raisins in these cookies, and will use golden raisins if I have them on hand. I like to add 1 ½ tsp of cinnamon of I do raisins too.
Dark Chocolate Chunk Walnut Cookies (Lactation Cookies)
Chewy oatmeal cookies with dark chocolate chunks and crunchy walnuts and the addition of nutritional yeast, chia seeds, and flax seeds for breastfeeding support.
Ingredients
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 375°F (190°C), and line two cookie sheets with parchment paper.
- Cut the cold from the refrigerator butter into 1/2” cubes and add to the mixer with both sugars. Mix on low until it starts to clump up, then turn mixer to medium & mix for five minutes until the mixture reaches a soft caramel color. You may need to stop and scrape the bowl 1-2 times.
- Add the egg yolks and vanilla extract one at a time and mix until incorporated.
- Add the baking powder, baking soda, and sea salt*, and mix on low for 15 seconds.
- Then add the flour, flax seed, nutritional yeast, chia seeds, oats, and mix for another thirty seconds to a minute on low. Scrape the sides and bottom of the bowl to be sure there aren't any pockets of flour.
- When the dry ingredients are almost all mixed in, add the chocolate chunks and walnut pieces. Mix on low until evenly distributed, about 30 seconds. Do not over mix.
- Using a 1/4 cup spring release scoop, evenly place 6 dough balls on the prepared baking sheet. You can bake two sheets at a time.
- Bake for 10-12 minutes, rotating halfway through and switching racks for even baking. Cookies are done when the center only is slightly shiny in the crevices, and the edges have just started to brown. They will have spread quite a bit.
- Scoot the cookies by rotating around them edges using the rim of a 5” bowl (see picture for before and after).
- Cool for 5-10 minutes before eating, and use a spatula to remove the cookies from the tray.
Notes
*If you use salted butter, reduce salt by about 1/2 teaspoon (3/4 tsp total).
