Lactation Cookies

These chewy, chocolaty marvels are delicious, whether you’re a first-time nursing mother or simply someone who never met an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie they didn’t like. Loosely inspired by the lactation cookie recipe that got author Jessamine Chan through her first month as a new mom, this version features three key ingredients (a.k.a. galactagogues) reputed to increase milk supply: flaxseed meal, rolled oats, and brewer’s yeast. While brewer’s yeast has a bitter edge on its own, it melds seamlessly into each bite thanks to cinnamon, dark chocolate chips or chunks, shredded coconut, and dried figs.

While few medical studies exist to support the claim that eating lactation cookies can increase breast milk supply, there is anecdotal evidence. The protein, B vitamins, iron, and other nutrients in these delicious cookies may improve a nursing mom’s overall well-being, while knowing that she has something satiating to eat whenever hunger strikes can ease her mind. For optimal breast milk production, anecdotal evidence suggests eating one cookie about an hour before breastfeeding or pumping is most effective, 2 to 3 cookies per day.