Soft, Yummy, Delicious Lactation Cookie Recipe

If you are battling with low breast milk supply you may have heard about Lactation cookies. As a postpartum and infant care doula, I am often supporting breastfeeding mothers increase their milk supply but I rarely make lactation cookies because I've been so disappointed with recipes I have found online. 

Why is it so hard to find a good lactation cookie recipe in which the cookies don’t turn out dry, bitter and crumbling into dust? 

Finally, I had an Eureka moment! I think every family has a traditional chocolate or raisin cookie recipe that is passed around as “THE BEST” cookie recipe - it's delicious and soft and melts in your mouth. So why not slightly tweak that recipe to keep the soft texture and rich flavour AND make it breast milk production supportive?

 Firstly, you may be wondering what the hidden magic is in Lactation cookies that make them work so well? The answer is Galactagogues. Galactagogues are either a food, herb or medication that help to boost the production of milk in humans and other lactating mammals.  In lactation cookies the most commonly used galactagogues used are: brewer's yeast, flaxseed, wheat germ, and whole oats.  Where I think most recipes go wrong is that they try and fit all 4 ingredients in at the same time and that’s was dries out the cookie and gives it a bitter taste.  Secondly, they don’t add enough of what I call “soften ingredients”. So my rule:  keep it simple!  Use just 2 (maybe 3) galactagogues so you don’t lose the taste and dry out your cookies – sure you will have less galactagogues in each cookie, but that just means you have an excuse to eat an extra cookie a day!

It is important to note that as a professionally trained postpartum doula, I DO NOT recommend all breastfeeding mothers consume supplements, teas, cookies, or other lactation producing concoctions UNLESS it has been confirmed by an IBCLC (Internationally Board Certified Lactation Consultant) or a healthcare professional that they do in fact have a low milk supply. You don’t want to accidentally cause an oversupply which has its own issues for mother and baby, such as engorgement, clogged ducts, colicky baby, etc.

Download Sarah's delicious recipe:

​(This recipe can be made vegan by replacing 2 eggs with 1/2c mashed banana)

lactation_cookie_recipe.pdf
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We would love to hear your great lactation increasing recipe if you have one. Go ahead and post in the comments if you do!

Sarah Baker is a co-owner of Lifetime of Love Doula Services and has been supporting families for 5 years as a birth doula, postpartum & infant care doula and childbirth educator.  She is mom to three boys, twins and a singleton.