Pumpkin Nut Lactation Cookies

Original Recipe HERE (note: the original recipe has lots of information)

These lactation cookies seem to do what they promise.  Whether it's the "active" ingredients like brewer's yeast or just the calories they provide, I don't know...and don't really care.  And they're healthy enough that I don't feel too bad giving them to the kids as treats.  They're excited to have a "cookie" and I earn Mom Points.

The original recipe turned out slightly dense, dry-ish cookies...which was good for the reason that they forced me to drink plenty of water with them, and water helps with lactation.  However, I experimented a bit and realized that adding in a can (15 oz?) of pure pumpkin makes them much moister (so much so, that you should store them uncovered because otherwise they turn what I've decided to call "humid").  And pumpkin is good for you, so I guess I just made them healthier, huh?  I can therefore eat one extra cookie per serving, I think.

I couldn't find "dosing" instructions, so I typically finish an entire batch in less than 72 hours.  But I'm pretty sure that's called "binging," especially because a batch makes about 50 cookies.  To absolve myself of being appalled at such piggy-ness, I substituted honey or agave for the sugars, as well as apple sauce for some of the butter.  Since I gave up chocolate for lent, eliminating the chips didn't affect the final product at all (though being able to add them back in will make me happy).

I've made these several times with the Kitchenaid stand mixer I got for Christmas, and it really makes a difference in how easy the preparation is.  The batter gets pretty thick once the flour is added...and stirring the oats in by hand is tedious and arm-numbing.

Ingredients

1-1/2 cups whole wheat flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon cinnamon
1 teaspoon salt

1/2 to 3/4 cup almond butter or peanut butter
1/4 cup butter (half a stick), softened
1/4 cup applesauce
1/2 cup agave syrup [or honey]
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla
4 Tablespoons brewer's yeast
1 cup flaxseed meal
2 large eggs

1 can (15 oz) pure pumpkin
1 cup chopped nuts of your choice [I used sliced almonds]
2 cups (12oz) chocolate chips or cinnamon chips [optional]
2 to 3 cups old-fashioned oats

Directions

(1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees.  Line two baking sheets with parchment paper.
(2) In bowl, sift together flour, baking soda, cinnamon and salt.
(3) In separate, large bowl, beat butter and brown sugar until well combined.
(4) Add almond/peanut butter, apple sauce, agave, vanilla, brewer's yeast, and flax meal until creamy.
(4) Beat eggs into moist mixture.  Add pumpkin; beat.

(5) Gradually beat flour mixture into moist mixture in several stages.

(6) Mix nuts and chips into batter.

(7) Add 2 cups oats, mixing thoroughly.  If dough is very soft, add more oats up to one additional cup.

(8) Place balls of dough (about 2 Tablespoons of dough eatch) onto baking sheets.  Press each down lightly with fork.

(9) Bake 12 minutes.

Kid Participation:

* Sift dry ingredients

* Add wet ingredients to bowl

* Operate switch on stand mixer

* Flatten unbaked cookies