Oatmeal, Chocolate Chip, & Coconut "Lactation" Cookies

Original Recipe HERE

 

This recipe got good reviews from its original baker, and it had plenty of oats involved.  So I figured why not see if it could be converted into a lactation cookie by added the old standbys of flaxseed meal and brewer's yeast.  I'm happy to report that it, indeed, can.  Actually, I can't report on the lactation function yet (you'd think eating six cookies in one sitting would produce immediate results...), but they taste great and are the chewy consistency that I like.  Sometimes the brewer's yeast flavor can be detected in cookies, but not here.

 

I cut the original brown sugar amount by 1/4 cup because I didn't have enough.  With the chocolate chips and coconut, there's already plenty of sweetness being added, so I would try decreasing the white sugar to 3/4 cup, also - maybe even one sugar to 1/2 cup.

 

I got about 36 cookies using approximately 2 tablespoons of dough for each.  Next time I will use my smaller 1-tablespoon scoop and get more.  Also, because of a crying baby who didn't want to sleep, half of the dough sat on the counter longer than expected.  The last batch of cookies spread a lot.  I got the best results with the fresher (colder) dough on the silpat, so refrigerating it before scooping is suggested.

 

Ingredients

3 Tablespoons flaxseed meal

3 Tablespoons water

1 cup (2 sticks) unsalted butter, softened

1 cup granulated sugar

3/4 cup brown sugar

2 eggs

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

1 cup all-purpose flour

1/2 cup whole wheat flour

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon salt

3 Tablespoons brewer's yeast

3 cups old-fashioned oats

1 cup chocolate chips [I used mini-morsels]

1/2 cup sweetened shredded coconut

 

Directions

(1) In a small bowl, combine flaxseed meal and water.  Set aside to soak.

(2) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.

(3) In a small bowl, sift together flours, baking powder, salt, and brewer's yeast.

(4) In a large bowl, cream together butter and sugars until light and fluffy.

(5) Add eggs and vanilla to butter mixture; mix thoroughly.

(6) Add flaxseed meal to butter mixture; mix thoroughly.

(7) Add flour mixture to wet ingredients; mix until just combined.

(8) Add oats, chocolate chips, and coconut; mix until evenly distributed.

(9) Using 1-2 tablespoons each, roll dough into balls.  Space balls at least 2" apart on baking sheets.

(10) Bake 10-12 minutes, or until edges are golden brown but middles are still pale.

(11) Cool on baking sheets for 2 minutes.  Remove to cooling racks.

 

Kid Participation:

* Mix flaxseed and water

* Measure dry ingredients

* Sift dry ingredients

* Measure wet ingredients

* Operate mixer

* Make dough balls (but not if you care about uniformity in size and whether your kid gets dough all over themselves from the elbows down)

Chocolate Lactation Cookies

Original Recipe HERE

I'm using baby #4 (henceforth referred to as *A*) as an excuse to gorge myself on cookies.  I love lactation cookies because they (1) help my supply a bit, (2) make large batches, (3) are filling, (4) are easy to grab as a snack - or breakfast if I'm desperate, and (5)  they are healthy enough that I don't feel bad engaging in said gorging.

I don't like to throw a bunch of chocolate chips in, like most recipes suggest, because I do gorge myself on them (have I mentioned that already?).  I read somewhere that you're supposed to have two small cookies for each feeding.  But I don't feel like a cookie is truly a cookie unless it has either frosting or chocolate elements.  The cocoa powder in these satisfies that need and, as far as my tiny bit of research says, is better for you than Nestle morsels.  Don't tell me if I'm wrong about that.

The first batch was good, but practice makes perfect and the second batch was better.  I made a few changes that time, but I'm posting the original amounts below.  The updates were: substituting 1/2 cup coconut oil for half of the butter, reducing both sugars to 1/3 cup, and replacing 1 cup of white flour with 1 cup of wheat.  I also tossed in about 1/3 cup mini-morsels that time...

The cookies come out of the oven very soft, cool and firm up quickly, and then are at their best after they've sat overnight.  They re-moisten themselves somewhat, as many cookies with large amounts of oats tend to do.  Using my mini-dough scoop (approximately one tablespoon size), I got four baking sheets worth of cookies, which was over 50 cookies.
 

Ingredients

1/2 cup flaxseed meal

1/2 cup water

1 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar 
1/2 cup brown sugar
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
4 Tablespoons molasses
1/3 cup cocoa
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups oats
1 cup chocolate chips, raisins, etc. [I did not use]
4 Tablespoons brewers yeast

 

Directions
1) Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.  Line baking sheets with parchment paper.
2) Mix water and flaxseed meal until thoroughly wet.  Set aside.
3) In a large bowl, butter and sugars until fluffy.
4) Add eggs, vanilla, and molasses to butter.  Mix well.
5) Add flaxseed meal.  Mix well.
6) In a separate bowl, sift together flour, cocoa, baking soda, salt, and yeast.
7) Add dry ingredients to wet.  Mix well.
8) Add oats.  Mix well.
9) Fold in chocolate chips.
10) Drop spoonfuls of dough (1 to 2 tablespoons each) onto baking sheets.  If desired, flatten slightly.  Cookies will spread a bit.
11) Bake about 12 minutes.  Remove cookies from baking sheets immediately; cool on racks.

Kid Participation:
* Add wet ingredients
* Add dry ingredients
* Scoop dough
* Ask if eating the cookies will help them make milk

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