Today's Recipe ~ Oatmeal Lactation Cookies

I always love when people put recipes up on their blogs, it's so great to get new ideas from your friends.  However, I'm more of a recipe-reviser (usually to fit with what I currently have in the cupboard) than I am a recipe-creator, so I've always resisted putting any up here.  But, I do have a few recipes that I've had a lot of people ask me for, and generally they tend to be the ones that I've revised significantly, so I end up sending a link along with a list of the 10 different revisions I've made.

 

So, if only to make it easier for me to share my favorite adapted-recipes with my friends, I thought I'd put a few up in the old blog-o-sphere.

 

And to start, my Gluten-Free Oatmeal Lactation Cookies

 

 

Before you ask, let me answer your questions:

• I don't know if these really help, but "they" do say that oatmeal, brewer's yeast, and flax seeds can help increase your milk supply.  I've also read that Coconut Oil can help with milk supply, but I read it on some random person's blog, so I don't know about that one.
• I've fed these cookies to Keith & Parker on several occasions and so far, neither of them have started lactating, so I think the men-folk are safe.
• You can buy Brewer's yeast at the health-food stores, I think I got mine at Super Supplements.  You could go to the Brew-supply store, but I don't recommend it.  Not only because it was humiliating, but the brewer's yeast they sell is active, which means it can cause some fizzy-unpleasantness in your tummy.

That said, here we go (the full recipe is at the bottom):

 

First, you toast the oats.  I like to toast the oats on two cookie sheets with 8-oz of oats each, that way I only have to measure once:

 

Spread the oats out on the cookie sheet and toast for about 20 minutes, then let cool.  Make sure the oats are quite cool before you start assembling the cookies, or else you'll end up with Chocolate Oatmeal Cookies, rather than Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies.  Still good, but not quite the same.

 

They'll be golden-like coming out of the oven.

 

Blend half the oats in the food processor until the oats look like whole-wheat.  If you're using whole flax-seeds, add them at this point too.  Flax seeds are high in Omega-3's, but when they're whole, it's hard for your body to absorb them, so ground flax-seed is the way to go.

 

Add 3-4Tbs of Brewer's Yeast to the ground oats.  Brewer's yeast is the "secret ingredient" to help with milk production, so be generous, but I've found that if you use more than a 1/4 cup, the cookies get kind of bitter.

 

Blend to combine, then add the cinnamon, baking powder, and salt.  Pulse to combine completely.

 

Meanwhile...

In the mixing bowl, combine your butter and sugars.

When I'm concerned about my milk supply, I can eat a lot of these cookies, so I'm always trying to find the best balance of tasting good and not having too many calories and fat.  For the butter, I've tried everything: butter, vegan butter, applesauce, coconut oil, bananas.  My current favorite combination is 5oz ripe banana and 5oz of coconut oil.  The coconut oil needs to be solid, so if it's hot in your kitchen, you might have to put the oil in the refrigerator for a while to solidify.

 

Cream until smooth.

 

Add the eggs and vanilla.

 

Add the ground oatmeal and the whole oats and mix.

Once everything is mixed, add the chocolate chips.

 

Scoop out into a cookie sheet.

 

These cookies don't really spread (at all), so if you want them to look more like cookies and less like little mounds of cookie, you can flatten them with your hand:

 

 

Bake until golden brown. 

 

I like them with a cup of creamy tea.

 

Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

adapted from Alton Brown's The Oatiest Oatmeal Cookies Ever

 

 

Ingredients:

16 oz old fashioned rolled oats

1/4 C flax seeds (whole or ground)

3-4T Brewer's yeast

1 t baking powder

2 t ground cinnamon

Pinch kosher salt

 

5oz ripe banana (ripe, but not over-ripe)

5oz coconut oil (solid)

6oz brown sugar

2oz granulated sugar

1 large egg

1 t vanilla extract

1 C chocolate chips

 

Heat the oven to 375F

 

Spread the oat out on one or two cookie sheets.  Bake until light brown, about 20 minutes.  Allow to cool in the pans.

 

Grind the flax seeds and 8oz of the oats in a food processor until it looks like whole-wheat flour.  Add the brewer's yeast, baking powder, cinnamon, & salt.  Pulse several times until totally combined.

 

Combine the banana, coconut oil, and sugars in a stand mixer.  Mix on medium speed until creamed together (fully combined & light brown in color).  Add the egg & vanilla and mix to combine.  Add the ground oat mixture and mix to combine.  Finally, add the whole oats and chocolate chips, mix to combine.

 

Scoop the dough out onto parchment lined cookie sheets.  Flatten, if desired.

Bake 12-14 minutes until browned around the edges.