These hearty lactation cookies come together quickly using just one bowl! They feature old-fashioned oats, malted milk powder, ground flaxseed, and coarsely chopped dark chocolate. Craving a bar instead? The dough can easily be transformed into cookie bars!
Hi hi! I am just popping in to share the recipe for these super easy lactation cookies!
I never thought I would be posting a lactation cookie recipe on my website as I don't have kids of my own, but my little Sister recently gave birth to my new best friend, and when your big sister is a baking blogger, you get a custom made lactation cookie recipe just for you.
I wanted something super super easy, a one bowl situation which is something that new parents can easily make, but also something that is a great thing to take to new parents if you're looking to do some baking. These lactation cookies are based on my Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookie Recipe, and I have adapted the recipe so it can be made either as lactation cookie bars, or as individual cookies.
Please note that I am NOT a medical professional and am just sharing a recipe that I have created. If you do have supply issues, please make sure you consult with your doctor or a lactation consultant.
This post has been medically reviewed by Sarah Remmer, RD.
I am super lucky and have had Sarah Remmer, RD medically review this post for me. Sarah does incredible work as a Pediatric Dietitian and Child Nutrition Expert, and has the most amazing anti-diet outlook, which if you’ve been here for a while, you know I am all about! It is so important that littles have a great relationship with food right from the get go, and Sarah is a super valuable resource for that.
What are Lactation Cookies?
From my research I found that there are two camps of people - those in the know about lactation cookies, and those who have absolutely no idea what they are and ask 'will they make me lactate?' (If you are not a person who lactates, these will not induce it!)
Lactation cookies are essentially a super-powered oatmeal cookie. Although they won’t “make you lactate” they ARE chock full of nourishing ingredients that will provide a new parent many essential nutrients to help with energy, satisfaction, healing and potentially even breastmilk production. Oh, and you can’t beat an easy, yummy snack that you can hold with one hand as you feed baby.
These lactation cookies may support healthy milk supply, however there is some recent evidence out there that this may not be the case.
In fact, many breastfeeding parents turn to various foods, herbal supplements, tinctures, and teas to increase milk supply, despite the lack of regulations or solid research in this area. Most resources have mixed reports and recommendations which can make an already overwhelmed new parent feel even more confused.
What we do know - Oats play a main character!
What we DO know is that there are some foods and herbs that are considered “galactagogues”, which are said to increase or stimulate breastmilk production. One of the most common galactagogues is oats, which just happen to be the star ingredient in this recipe! They contain a special type of fibre called beta-glucan, which can help increase prolactin–also known as the breastfeeding hormone. More research is needed to determine the amount of oats that a breastfeeding mom would need to consume to notice a change in breastmilk production, but this is still pretty cool!
For me, I was just looking to make my sister a cookie that she loved, that keeps super well and is filled with things to keep satisfied, nourished, and full of energy.
I know not every new parent is able to breastfeed too - these are a great option to take to any new parent, regardless of where they are on their feeding journey as they are the perfect snack to have around when they are time poor.
Cookie Ingredients
These lactation cookies are super similar to my Oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe, which I used as a base. I did add in a few extra bits and pieces. Here are the main ingredients:
- Butter. These are butter based - if you are after a dairy free situation, my dairy free Oatmeal chocolate chip cookies are a great place to start.
- Sugar. I used both brown and white sugar, adjusting the recipe to give the spread and thickness that I like.
- Old fashioned Oats. These are a staple in most lactation cookies - oats provide loads of fibre and also lots of energy to help keep new parents going.
- Flour. I haven't tried making these Gluten Free sorry, I just used regular All-purpose flour
- (Optional) Malted Milk Powder. I use Horlicks in New Zealand, or you can use any malted milk powder that you can find online. Malted milk powder is just a flavour enhancer - you can leave it out with no textural difference if you do not have it on hand.
- LSA or ground Flaxseed (Linseed). LSA is Linseed, Sunflower seed, and Almond meal, and provides amazing protein and fibre. I tested with both LSA and straight ground Linseed (also called flax seed) and they worked out the same both times. Use ground flaxseed only if there is a nut allergy.
- Chocolate. I used dark chocolate for my lactation cookies, however I did play around with a few flavour combinations using dried fruit and nuts etc, so just use whatever you like in these lactation cookies and make to taste.
Cookie Bars vs Individual Cookies
I made this lactation cookie recipe so that it could be made two ways - either as a cookie bar, or as individual cookies. The recipe is essentially identical except for cookies they have ¼ teaspoon extra baking soda to help them to puff up in the oven.
Make them however you like - they are both delicious! The individual cookies are great to freeze the dough for whereas if you wanted to freeze the actual baked bars, then the cookie bars are the way to go.
There are notes underneath the recipe on how to turn this recipe into individual cookie bars!
How do you store lactation cookies?
Store lactation cookies in an airtight container at room temperature. They last up to a week stored like this, or potentially longer. I often like to refresh cookies in the microwave for 10 or so seconds just to make the chocolate in them nice and gooey and warm.
Can Lactation Cookies be frozen?
Yes - this recipe freezes like a dream. I have frozen them in every form - the raw dough balls, the baked cookie bars, and the baked individual cookies. Freeze the cookies, dough, or bars in an airtight container for up to three months then defrost as directed:
- For cookie dough: You can bake directly from frozen - reduce the oven temperature to 325°f / 165°c and add a few more minutes onto the baking. You can read more about how I freeze cookie dough in my post - how to freeze cookie dough and bake from frozen.
- Cookie bars and baked cookies - Defrost at room temperature. I like eating cookies that have been pre frozen slightly warmed up, although my sister would like me to share that they are also delicious eaten straight from the freezer. You do you here.
Recipe Development for one bowl lactation cookies
I initially started this cookie recipe as individual cookies, then tweaked it slightly to fit into a pan, as I wanted something super easy. I have a friend who has a baby and was chatting to her about a cookie recipe and her two conditions were:
- No Fancy Stuff. No browning butter, no waiting for things to cool, no chill time for the recipe, has to be able to be made while holding a baby.
- Has to last the night. This is a delightfully specific condition she wanted - she wanted it to be able to stay on a plate by her bed so that she could eat it when she woke up first thing or in the night. I plate tested this recipe and can confirm, it passes the test.
With this in mind, I tweaked my oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe a bit, switching the butter from brown butter just to regular melted butter, removing the step where you toast the oats, and making it so that they can either be made as a bar or individual cookies.
If you would like to take the extra step to brown the butter, you can follow the instructions in my oatmeal chocolate chip cookie recipe and use 100g brown butter in the lactation cookie recipe (or 120g if you choose to add in the additional milk powder).
Flavour variations for Lactation Cookies
I ended up making these probably 20 times over the course of a few months as I have a ton of new parents in my life (I am a super super lucky Aunty), and so played around with a few flavour variations by switching out some of the chocolate for dried fruit or nuts. Here are a few options if you would like, use these quantities instead of the amount of chocolate in the recipe (this works for both individual cookies and cookie bars)
- Apricot and chocolate: Add in 130g chopped dried apricots, and 120g chopped chocolate of your choice
- Chocolate and Macadamia: Add in 120g chopped toasted macadamia nuts, and 100g chopped chocolate (I used caramelised white chocolate)
- Salted Caramel: Add in 200g chopped soft and chewy caramel (I used my foolproof caramel recipe), and 120g chopped chocolate of your choice.
Frequently Asked Questions
What tools and equipment do you use?
You can find a full list of the tools and equipment I use on my products page
How big do I scoop the cookies?
I used a #24 cookie scoop, which gives 75g balls of dough. Feel free to adjust as needed, a scoop this size makes 10 large cookies.
Can I use rolled oats or quick cooking oatmeal?
I haven't tried it with either sorry - I have only used Old fashioned oats which give a really nice texture.
For more related cookie recipes, check out:
❤️ Made this recipe and love it? ❤️
I would LOVE for you to leave me a review and star rating below to let me know how you liked it! Also, please make sure to tag me on Instagram!
Answers to your baking questions
Over the years, many of you have asked me questions about:
- baking in grams
- adjusting oven temperatures
- what kind of salt to use
- and many more!
I've curated and answered them all for your easy reference in this frequently asked questions post!
No-Fuss One Bowl Lactation Cookies
Description
These hearty lactation cookies come together quickly using just one bowl! They feature old-fashioned oats, malted milk powder, ground flaxseed, and coarsely chopped dark chocolate. Craving a bar instead? The dough can easily be transformed this into cookie bars!
Ingredients
- 100g melted unsalted butter
- 95g brown sugar
- 65g granulated sugar
- 1 large egg (50g not including the shell), at room temperature
- 120g Old fashioned oats
- 110g all-purpose flour
- 45g malted milk powder
- 45g ground linseed (flax seed) or LSA (linseed, sunflower seed and almond meal)
- ½ tsp salt
- ¼ tsp baking powder
- 160g coarsely chopped dark chocolate, plus more for the tops.
Instructions
- Preheat the oven to 350°f /180°c. Grease and line a 9” (23cm) baking pan with parchment paper, extending the paper over the edges of the pan to form a sling for removing the cookie bars after baking. If desired, use binder clips to clip down the parchment paper (if they are metal, they can stay on while the cookie bars are in the oven).
- In a medium bowl, combine the melted butter, brown sugar, and granulated sugar. Whisk until combined. Add the egg, and whisk well until the mixture has thickened slightly and is lighter in colour.
- Add the oats, flour, malted milk powder, ground linseed, salt, and baking powder. Mix with a spatula until slightly combined, then add the chocolate and continue to mix until fully incorporated.
- Transfer the cookie mixture to the prepared baking pan, and smooth down using a spatula. Add additional chocolate if desired.
- Bake the cookie bars for 25 to 27 minutes, until they are set and lightly golden around the edges.
- Leave to cool in the pan, then remove from the pan using the parchment paper sling. Slice into bars using a sharp knife.
- Store in an airtight container at room temperature for up to a week, or in the freezer for up to 3 months.
Notes
For cookies, make the mix as directed but add ¼ teaspoon baking soda with the dry ingredients.. Scoop into 75g balls, and bake on a parchment lined baking sheet for 12-13 minutes until set and lightly browned around the edges. Remove from the oven and if desired, ‘scoot’ the cookies into a perfectly round shape using a cookie cutter slightly larger than the cookie (do this while they are still hot).
Leave to cool on the pan for 10 minutes then transfer to a wire rack and allow to cool completely.
Comments
Becky says
These are so delicious! They're definitely going to make the long days and nights a little sweeter.
Naomi says
Recipe worked like a dream, so easy, and so delicious! Made them for a friend with a new born and had to stop my partner from trying to pinch them before I could deliver them.
Aleesha says
I've now made this recipe countless times for friends with new babies, and they all love it. This time I doubled the recipe and took some to a family dinner, where it was also a hit!
Jess says
I’ve literally subsisted off of these since delivering my baby at the end of February. Not sure if they do much for my supply but they’re easy to grab and satisfy my sweet tooth. Also they’re the only cookie recipe I know I can make and bake same day without hours of chill time. No spreading and they come out perfect every single time (probably due to the weighed measurements)
Erin Clarkson says
Hahah I was on the phone to my sister when I read this and read it to her and she goes 'tell her that I did the same thing'. She lived on them for so long! So happy you love xx
Ana says
I made the bar version of these and LOVED them. My husband ate half the batch! So easy to make and very quick to pull together. The texture is wonderful and the flavour really hits the spot. I’m excited to make them again with other mix-ins and make them for friends in the breastfeeding stage of life!
Claire Duvenage says
What about adding some brewers yeast?
Erin Clarkson says
You are welcome to but when I did my research on it I found that if the lactating person isn't used to eating it then it can cause a tummy upset in the baby so I left it out.
Millie says
I make these for our local Plunket mums and bubs groups. Easy, impressive and so delicious I have to stop my children from getting at them first! Current batch in the oven are apricot and chocolate 🙂
Harold says
I'm in the thick of it with our newborn second and I made some changes to streamline things that still turned out well. First, I used a whole stick of butter which weighs around 113 grams. It still works with that extra amount of butter and I didn't need to bust out the knife and cutting board which I can't put in the dishwasher. I also microwaved the butter and sugar in my biggest microwave safe bowl and added a cold egg because I didn't put one out earlier. Still fine! I used chocolate chips so I wouldn't dirty a cutting board or knife and I added a heaping tablespoon of brewers yeast which is a little noticeable, but not off putting. At the end, bowl, spoons, baking tray and wire rack all go into the dishwasher and everything's good.
Belinda says
Absolutely delicious. I made them as cookies, I made the balls 25g to get more cookies, and also so they’ll fit more easily in my children’s lunchboxes (because let’s face it, I’m going to have to share). Next time I’ll try to find malted milk powder 🙂
Sarah Charteris says
Can the milk powder be substituted or omitted? I can't tolerate much dairy unfortunately.
Erin Clarkson says
Yep you can leave it out 🙂
Ella says
It’s about time I left a review because it’s the 3rd time I’ve made this recipe in the last week! My new mum friends think I’m the best and I’ve eaten all the edge pieces- win win! Love how easy this was, once I’d acquired the more unusual ingredients that I didn’t already have!
Kat says
This is such a banger, made it for the second time today, doubled it and it turned out even better than last time. Added brewers yeast to give me an extra kick in the tit as it’s much needed.
I’ve had to lock them away from the teens and was immediately asked to “make another batch for us then?”
Erin Clarkson says
Hahhahahah I nearly spit my coffee out reading this. So happy you loved!