Lactation cookies are cookies that can help to boost your milk supply – they contain brewer’s yeast and oats, and the bonus is, they don’t really taste like a “healthy” biscuit.
Oats provide plenty of nutrients and minerals which are known to boost milk supply – and a bowl of oatmeal is known to be relaxing, which will produce oxytocin, a key hormone for lactation.
Brewer’s yeast is also commonly used to improve lactation, possibly because of the vitamin B it contains. Here are two recipes for lactation cookies that are healthy and delicious, that both contain oats and brewer’s yeast.
Oaty Cookies
Ingredients:
- ½ cup reduced fat butter
- ½ cup runny honey
- ½ cup Natvia
- 1 large egg
- 2 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. flaxseed meal
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup wholemeal flour
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ cups thick cut oats
- 1 large tbsp. brewer’s yeast
Directions:
- Preheat the oven to 180C. Combine the flaxseed meal with the water and leave to sit for a couple of minutes.
- Meanwhile, put the margarine, honey and native into a bowl. Using an electric mixer or a wooden spoon, beat together until the mixture is smooth, pale and fluffy. Beat in the egg – if it looks like it will curdle, add one tbsp. of the flour and beat in.
- Add the flaxseed meal mixture and beat in. Add the vanilla and beat in.
- Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt and brewer’s yeast. Stir gently into the wet mixture until you have a smooth batter, then fold in the oats. Drop by the spoonful onto baking trays lined with parchment paper.
- Bake for 8-12 minutes until golden, then leave to cool.
Recipe serves 40. Calories per serving: 71, fat per serving: 2.9g.
Chocolate Chip & Fenugreek Cookies
Ingredients
- ½ cup reduced fat butter
- 1/2 cup Natvia
- ½ cup of honey
- 1 tbsp. water
- 1 tbsp. flax seed meal
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp. vanilla extract
- 1 cup wholemeal flour
- ½ tsp. baking soda
- ½ tsp. salt
- 1 ½ cups thick cut oats
- 3 tbsp. brewer’s yeast
- ½ cup dark chocolate chips
- 3 capsules fenugreek powder, opened
Directions
- Preheat the oven to 170C. Mix the water and flaxseed meal and leave to sit for a little while.
- Using an electric mixer, beat together the butter, honey and Natvia. Add the egg – if it threatens to curdle, add a spoonful of flour.
- Add the flaxseed meal and water along with the vanilla extract. Sift together the flour, baking soda, salt, brewer’s yeast and fenugreek powder. Add to the wet mixture and stir to combine.
- Carefully fold in the chocolate chips and oats. Drop by the spoonful onto baking trays lined with parchment paper, then bake for 12 minutes or until golden. Leave to cool.
Recipe serves 28. Calories per serving: 130. Fat per serving: 5.2g.
Variations
The idea behind these cookies is for them to boost your milk supply, and the most important thing about them is to improve your health. Ginger is a great ingredient for new mums, so you could experiment by adding it to the cookies – or you could sub the flour for gluten free flour, or even oat/spelt flour. You could add nuts and seeds for extra protein and omega-3s, or you could experiment with dried fruits such as raisins, cranberries or dried apricots.
It all depends on your personal diet and preferences – just remember that if you add nuts and seeds etc. the calorie count of the cookies will rise, as will the fat content, but they will still be healthy in terms of vitamins and minerals.
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And don’t forget that our Healthy Mummy Smoothie range (which includes fenugreek, flaxseeds, ginger and pumpkin seeds) can also help to boost your milk supply as well as help with your weight loss and energy – and you can click here to save money
