Some women swear by lactation cookies (for supporting and boosting milk supply).

There are many commercial cookies which one can easily purchase, plus so many recipes online for creating your own. What makes a good lactation cookie comes down to a few things – obviously the taste is important, adequate energy content and of course the galactagogue ingredients. The only real difference between a regular cookie and a lactation cookie is the inclusion of galactagogues. Galactagogues are substances found in herbs and foods that help to promote lactation.

One thing to remember is: first and foremost, a balanced diet should be a priority when it comes to nourishing yourself and to best support lactation. Cookies and/or including food galactagogues in other ways can be added to a healthy balanced diet to help support and possibly boost milk supply. Examples of galactagogues include oats, brewer’s yeast, flaxseeds, chickpeas, leafy greens, nuts and seeds. Most commercial lactation cookies and recipes include flaxseeds, oats and brewer’s yeast (and apart of from these, typical cookie ingredients such as flour, butter/oil, a sweetener and chocolate/nuts).

If you feel that your milk supply is low it’s always beneficial to firstly consult a lactation consultant (here I’ll add that I highly recommend the specialists at Adelaide Mums and Babies Clinic). I will add though that you can certainly try lactation cookies, especially those that are nutritious as well as delicious. If you have Chrohn’s Disease or Colitis I would be careful however (if baking your own I suggest not adding brewer’s yeast – just omit from the recipe – as brewer’s yeast can exacerbate symptoms).

What I’ve tried to do here is create a recipe that is a bit different to others. These cookies are dairy free, soy free, gluten and wheat free however not nut free (a nut free version is coming!). If needing to avoid all gluten/wheat I would suggest buying certified wheat free oats.

These cookies, unlike many other lactation cookies, are not made with flour, they also don’t contain much sugar and don’t contain chocolate. You can of course add chocolate chips and other lovely things such as berries and coconut. I’ve had clients request suggestions and recipes for a delish cookie that is also not super sweet nor too dessert-like. For this reason, I’ve made these to be very nutritious, very tasty and sweet but but overly sweet and something you can certainly enjoy everyday. With ripe banana and a touch of maple syrup or coconut sugar they actually hold a lovely sweetness.

As these are not packed with sugar they are also very suitable for women who have had Gestational Diabetes and still need to manage their BGLs and also those who have Diabetes (If you have Diabetes, I would suggest following the recipe however using coconut sugar and only 1-2 Tbsp. and not adding sweet extras such as chocolate or berries). If you are still required to monitor your BGLs or have Diabetes, I would recommend that you speak with your Dietitian or feel free reach out to me via email or social media to discuss whether these might be helpful for you (and how many/when to enjoy them).

In creating this recipe, I’ve used an old recipe of mine as a base/inspiration (peanut butter, tahini, banana cacao cookies) as it’s always been a hit. The result?.. An especially good cookie recipe. And, one that is especially good for breast feeding mums (and those who are expressing too). Not only may these cookies boost milk supply but the combination of ingredients also makes them a great source of fibre, protein, calcium, nourishing energy and other vitamins and minerals.

To help support lactation, I would encourage you to enjoy 2 cookies a day (or 3 if you love them), however enjoying just 1 is also great!

Preparation time: 10-15mins

Cooking time: 10-11mins

Ingredients:

• 1 ripe banana, mashed
• 1/2 cup natural crunchy peanut butter
• 1/4 cup tahini
• 3 Tbsp. sugar, coconut sugar, honey or maple syrup
• 1/4 cup olive oil (or coconut oil, melted)
• 2 Tbsp. cacao (or cocoa powder)
• 1/2 tsp vanilla essence/extract
• 1/2 tsp cinnamon
• 1 cup almond meal/flour (or use a combination of almond meal and hazelnut meal – this is lovely!)
• 1 Tbsp. brewer’s yeast (you can find this at most wholefood and healthfood stores and some supermarkets)
• 1 Tbsp. flaxmeal (ground flaxseed/linseed)
• 3/4-1 cup of rolled oats
• A pinch of sea salt

Method:

1. Preheat oven to 180 Degrees Celsius and line a baking tray with baking paper.
2. In a large mixing bowl, add all wet ingredients – peanut butter, tahini, maple syrup, olive oil, vanilla essence/extract and mashed banana. Mix until well combined.
3. Then add almond meal (or flour), cinnamon, flaxmeal, brewer’s yeast and oats, and stir until all is combined. The batter should be sticky and thick.
4. Using a dessert or table spoon (and your hands) create balls of mixture which resemble bliss balls, and place on the baking paper. This amount should make 16-18 nice sized balls. Then with a fork or spoon, gently press and slightly flatten each ball.
5. Bake for 10-11mins, these cookies should not need any longer than 11mins as any longer can dry them out. However, if you prefer your cookies to be more crunchy/crumbly then certainly cook them for a little longer. I would suggest 10-11mins however for a almost ‘fudge-like’ centre.
6. Allow to cool before storing in an airtight container. These cookies keep well and also freeze extremely well. They hold their texture and moisture perfectly when allowed to defrost at room temperature. If the weather is warm I’d suggest keeping these cookies in the fridge.

Variations:

• Try adding a handful of Goji berries or frozen raspberries, for little bursts of fresh sweetness.
• For more decadent cookies, try adding roughly chopped dark chocolate bits – highly recommended.
• For a coconut flavour touch try adding coconut flakes or strips.

If you try these cookies, I’d love to hear how you go and what you think!

Lara x