If you would have asked me a couple years ago what “lactation cookies” were, I probably would have giggled, made some immature remark, and then given you the side-eye when I realized you were serious.

Pregnancy and childbirth change you, however, and it goes without saying that lactation cookies became one of my favorite snacks in those early days (and nights). My weapon of choice, if you will, for combating hormone-fueled “hanger” and boosting my milk supply when Bazooka wasn’t the most efficient eater.

I baked and consumed a few different versions, but these from How Sweet It Is were hands-down my favorite. I regret that her boy, Max, was born after Bazooka—because it wasn’t until Bazooka was a few months old that she shared her recipe.

No worries, though. Since one of my best friends recently gave birth to TWIN GIRLS (!!!), I had to revisit the idea and bake a huge batch of these babies, err, cookies, for her.

Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

(very slightly adapted from How Sweet It Is)

Ingredients

• 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
• 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
• 5 tablespoons brewers yeast
• 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
• 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
• 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
• 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 12 tablespoons butter*
• 4 tablespoons unrefined virgin coconut oil
• 1 1/4 cup sugar
• 1 large egg
• 1 egg yolk
• 2 teaspoons vanilla bean paste**
• 1/2 cup mini semi-sweet chocolate chips***

Directions

• Preheat your oven to 350 degrees F.
• In a large bowl, combine the oats, flour, brewers yeast, flax, baking powder, baking soda, and cinnamon.
• To the bowl of your electric mixer, add the butter and coconut oil and beat on medium speed until creamy. Add the sugar and beat until fluffy, scraping down the sides of the bowl when needed. Add the egg, egg yolk and vanilla bean paste, beating until combined. Gradually add in the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined. Gently stir in the chocolate chips with a spoon or spatula (the batter is very thick, so it may take some effort).
• Spoon the dough (about 1-inch rounds) onto a baking sheet, leaving about 2 inches between them. Bake for 10 to 14 minutes—until the edges begin to turn golden.
• Store in a sealed container after cookies have cooled completely.

Notes:

*I normally use unsalted butter for baking, but we had only salted on hand. If you use unsalted butter as the original recipe calls for, then add 1/4 tsp of salt to your dry ingredients.

**The original recipe calls for 2 tsp of vanilla extract, but I didn’t have any and used the equivalent amount of this paste. Since paste is thicker, I added a splash of water (real bakers would probably advice against that, but the batter was super thick and it helped)

***Again, the original recipe calls for 1 1/2 cups of chopped dark chocolate, but I only had mini semi-sweet chips and used just 1/2 cup since they are sweeter and go a bit further.

These cookies taste just like regular chocolate chip cookies! The combination of oats, brewers yeast, and flax helps increase milk production in many breastfeeding women. Also, please keep in mind these are not “diet” cookies. They use a generous amount of butter (and coconut oil) to provide some satiating fat for the mother, as the average nursing woman needs to consume 300-500 extra calories per day!

If you or a friend/family member is expecting, I highly encourage you to make a batch of these. The dough can be frozen, and I’ve had luck freezing baked cookies, too (that I would quickly defrost in the microwave).

• Nursing mothers: did you find any particular foods to help increase your milk supply? Oats, brewers yeast, and flax worked for me, but I also noticed that coconut water, mother’s milk tea, and fenugreek helped greatly. Staying hydrated was the #1 factor.
• Everybody: what’s your favorite type of cookie? I love ‘em all, but I think I’m a classic chocolate chip or PB girl at heart.