Lactation Cookies

They’re just cookies with extra goodness baked in

Prep: 20 mins

Cook: 48 mins

Chilling Time: 30 mins

Total: 98 mins

Servings: 22 servings

Yield: 44 cookies

The words “lactation cookies” might raise some eyebrows, but really these cookies are just cookies, with added nutrition. Most people send new parents bouquets of flowers, which are lovely, but you can’t eat flowers. These cookies? Highly edible.

There are a lot of reasons to make these cookies for a new parent. Most important, they taste amazing. Rich and nubbly with oats, chocolate chips, and nuts, lactation cookies are hearty and satisfying, perfect for a quick breakfast, a snack when the baby’s asleep, or a dessert that isn’t just pure sugar.

What Makes a Cookie a Lactation Cookie?

Lactation cookies contain a few notable ingredients that are said to increase milk production: brewer’s yeast, flaxseed, and oats. These ingredients are among a class called galactagogues, or foods that may help increase milk production in mammals.

Do Lactation Cookies Really Work?

To be clear, there is absolutely no evidence that lactation cookies work, but they are a very tasty, thoughtful, homemade gift that shows care for the person who gave birth. It can be challenging to get enough nutrition in the weeks and months after the baby is born, and lactation cookies are a fantastic grab and go option.

Can Anyone Eat These Cookies?

Even if you’re not a new parent or you’re a parent but not breastfeeding, these cookies are totally fine to eat! There’s nothing funky in the ingredients, and ultimately they’re just oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with some additions.

Tips for Making Lactation Cookies

Portion the dough and bake as needed—The cookie dough can be scooped, portioned, and stored in an airtight container for up to 1 week in the refrigerator or up to 1 month in the freezer. Bake the desired number of cookies as directed whenever the craving strikes. Keep in mind the cookies may not spread as much as those baked the same day the dough was made, but they will be delicious all the same.
Use a scale—A kitchen scale can be used to divide dough with precision. Simply record the total weight of your dough and divide into your desired weight per dough ball. Alternatively, use a portion scoop to make things really easy.
Make perfectly round cookies—A large round cutter can be used to nudge still-warm cookies into a rounder shape. Simply place the round cutter around a freshly baked cookie and move in a counter-clockwise motion making contact with cookie edges until desired shape is reached.
Baking the cookies—About 12 dough balls fit on a half sheet pan. You will need about 4 half sheet pans for a full recipe. Alternatively you can work with the pans you have. Just let them cool completely between baking batches.

«These cookies are so soft and chewy, packed with loads of oats, chocolate, crunchy nuts and a hint of warm spice. I could not discern any bitterness or yeasty flavor — these just taste like delicious cookies.» —The Spruce Eats Test Kitchen

A Note From Our Recipe Tester

Ingredients

1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened
3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar
3/4 cup (160 grams) packed light brown sugar
2 large eggs, at room temperature
1 tablespoon (20 grams) unsulphured molasses
1 tablespoon vanilla extract
1 1/4 cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour
1/4 cup (25 grams) brewer's yeast
1/4 cup (23 grams) flaxseed meal
1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon
3/4 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon fine salt
2 1/2 cups (240 grams) old fashioned rolled oats
1 1/4 cups (210 grams) semisweet chocolate chips
1/2 cup (58 grams) chopped toasted walnuts

Steps to Make It

Gather the ingredients.
Beat 1 cup (226 grams) unsalted butter, softened, 3/4 cup (150 grams) granulated sugar, and 3/4 cup (160 grams) packed light brown sugar with a stand mixer fitted with a paddle attachment on medium speed until fluffy, 2 to 3 minutes.
Add 2 large eggs, at room temperature, 1 tablespoon (20 grams) unsulphured molasses, and 1 tablespoon vanilla; beat on medium speed until combined, 30 seconds to 1 minute, stopping to scrape down the sides of the bowl as needed.
Whisk together 1 1/4 cups (150 grams) all-purpose flour, 1/4 cup (25 grams) brewer’s yeast, 1/4 cup (23 grams) flaxseed meal, 1 1/4 teaspoons ground cinnamon, 3/4 teaspoon ground ginger, 1/2 teaspoon baking soda, and 1/2 teaspoon fine salt in a medium bowl until combined.
Turn off the mixer. Add flour mixture to the butter mixture all at once and beat on low speed until nearly combined, 15 to 30 seconds.
Add 2 1/2 cups (240 grams) old-fashioned rolled oats, 1 1/4 cups (210 grams) semisweet chocolate chips, and 1/2 cup (58 grams) chopped toasted walnuts. Beat on low speed just until combined, about 15 seconds. Cover and chill the dough in the refrigerator until firm, about 30 minutes.

While the dough chills, preheat the oven to 350 F.
Portion the dough using a 1 1/2-tablespoon scoop (#40 portion scoop). Place dough portions 1 1/2 to 2 inches apart on parchment paper-lined baking sheets.
Bake, one pan at a time, until the edges and bottoms are golden and set but the centers still seem slightly soft, 9 to 12 minutes, rotating the pan 180 degrees halfway through the baking time.
Let the cookies cool on the pans on wire racks for 5 minutes and serve warm or transfer the cookies to the wire rack and let cool completely, 30 minutes to 1 hour.

How To Store

Store the cooled cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
Baked and cooled cookies can be individually wrapped and placed in a freezer-safe resealable plastic bag; freeze for 3 to 4 weeks. When ready to serve, remove the desired amount of cookies and place on a parchment-lined baking sheet. Bake at 300 F for 5 to 10 minutes, or until warmed as desired.

Feeling Adventurous? Try This:

Chocolate chips galore—Instead of semisweet morsels, feel free to use dark chocolate chips, milk chocolate chips, white chocolate chips, or a combination of all of the above.
Make it zesty—Add 1/2 teaspoon grated orange zest for a Milano-cookie-meets-oatmeal-cookie flavor profile.
Not a fan of walnuts?—Chopped almonds, hazelnuts, or macadamia nuts make for delicious substitutions.

Nutrition Facts
Servings: 22
Amount per serving
Calories	274
% Daily Value*
Total Fat 15g	19%
Saturated Fat 7g	37%
Cholesterol 39mg	13%
Sodium 89mg	4%
Total Carbohydrate 34g	12%
Dietary Fiber 2g	9%
Total Sugars 20g
Protein 4g
Vitamin C 0mg	0%
Calcium 30mg	2%
Iron 1mg	8%
Potassium 136mg	3%
*The % Daily Value (DV) tells you how much a nutrient in a food serving contributes to a daily diet. 2,000 calories a day is used for general nutrition advice.