Healthy Lactation Cookies

hand holding a lactation cookie split in half.

Healthy Lactation Cookies

Course: Dessert

Cuisine: gluten-free, vegan

Keyword: lactation cookies

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 10 minutes

Total Time: 20 minutes

Servings: cookies

Calories: 118kcal

Author: Megan Gilmore

These are the best lactation cookies, made with flax seed, brewer's yeast, and rollled oats. They make a great gift for new moms!

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Equipment

Ingredients

⅓ cup melted coconut oil (see notes)
¾ cup coconut sugar
1 large egg (or 1 flax egg; see notes)
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
¾ cups oat flour (certified gluten-free, if needed)
2 tablespoons ground flax seeds
¼ cup debittered brewer's yeast (see notes)
½ teaspoon baking soda
½ teaspoon sea salt
½ cup old fashioned oats
½ cup chocolate chips

Instructions

Preheat the oven to 350ºF and line a large baking sheet with parchment paper. In a large bowl, combine the coconut oil, sugar, egg, and vanilla and mix well.
Add in the oat flour, ground flax, brewer's yeast, baking soda and salt, and stir again until a thick batter is formed. It may take a few minutes of stirring to incorporate the dry ingredients evenly. Fold in the oats and chocolate chips. Do not taste-test the batter at this point
Use a 1-ounce cookie scoop or tablespoon to scoop the dough and drop it onto the lined pan, about 2 inches apart to allow for the cookies to spread. You should get 20 cookies from this recipe, so you'll need to use 2 pans, or bake in 2 separate batches. Bake at 350ºF for 8 to 10 minutes, until the cookies have spread and are lightly golden around the edges.
When the cookies are done baking, let them cool on the pan for at least 15 minutes. Then serve them warm for the best flavor and melt-in-your-mouth texture. Once they have totally cooled to room temperature, you can store them in an airtight container in the fridge for up to a week. Or, freeze them for up to 3 months, if you want to make a double-batch.

Notes

Nutrition information is for 1 of 20 cookies. This information is automatically calculated, and is just an estimate, not a guarantee.

This recipe was updated in September 2022. You can find the original recipe at the bottom of this website, if you prefer that version. (I found them too dry, which is why they were updated!)

Use coconut oil that is refined or expeller pressed if you want a cookie with zero coconut flavor. You can also replace the coconut oil with a 1/2 cup of softened butter, if you prefer.
To make a vegan lactation cookie, replace the egg by adding an extra tablespoon of ground flax seed plus 3 tablespoons of water to make a "flax egg" substitute..
Brewer's yeast can taste VERY bitter and ruin the flavor of your cookies. Look for non-bitter or debittered yeast for the tastiest results. You can also try using nutritional yeast instead, or replace this with a scoop of unflavored protein powder or an extra 3 tablespoons of oat flour, for a similar texture.
If you are gluten-intolerant be sure buy certified gluten-free oats. If you cannot find a brewer's yeast that is certified gluten-free, try using nutritional yeast instead, which is thought to have similar properties for milk production.

Nutrition