Lactation cookies are loaded with nutritious ingredients that also double as galactogogues, foods that may help to boost breastmilk supply. Oats, brewers yeast and flaxseed all work together to get that supply up (in conjunction with regular feeding and/or pumping).

Renee created this recipe when she had her second son, firstly because she needed a tasty treat to get her through those hours and hours of breastfeeding and secondly because so many recipe out there contained white flour, white sugar and not much else. She wanted a recipe that was delicious but also nutritious, providing protein and good fats and could be eaten with one hand (she knows what its like to spend months eating with only one hand!).

You can sub the gluten free flours for spelt, khorasan or wheat flour, the coconut sugar for regular or rapadura sugar and the oats for rice flakes, almond meal or extra flour (although the oats are a key milk boosting component in the recipe!).

We love baking a fresh batch of these and including them in food hampers we take to our mumma friends who've just had a baby. They can be made in advance and freeze/defrost exceptionally well. Enjoy! (.)(.)

Ingredients

3/4 cup brown rice flour *
1/2 cup buckwheat flour *
1/4 cup besan (chickpea flour) *
11/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp bicarb (baking soda)
1/4 tsp salt
1/2 cup coconut oil
2 tbs ground flaxseed (linseed)
2 eggs (or 2 flaxeggs: 2 tbs ground flaxseed & 4 tbs water combined then let sit for 10 mins + 1 tbs plant based milk)
1/2 - 3/4 cup coconut sugar, depending on how sweet you’d like them
1 tsp vanilla extract
1 cup oats
3 tbs brewers yeast
1 tsp cinnamon
3 fresh dates, cut up
small handful of almonds, crushed (optional)
*(1 cup total flour so you can use wholemeal wheat or spelt flour instead)

Method

Preheat oven to 180 degrees.
Cream together sugar, vanilla, dates and coconut oil. Add eggs/flaxeggs and combine until well mixed.
Add the remaining ingredients, except the crushed almonds, and combine until well mixed (I do this in a food processor to make the mixture quite smooth).
Add the almonds and stir through by hand.
Divide the mixture into golf ball sized balls and place even only a greased (or line with baking paper) baking tray. They don’t spread hugely but keep them a bit separate. Using a fork gently flatten the dough balls slightly.
Bake at 180 degrees for 10-12 minutes, or until golden brown.

These will last around 5 days in the fridge or can be frozen.