Increase Your Milk Supply :: Ultimate Lactation Cookie Recipe

139

Increase Your Milk Supply Ultimate Lactation Cookie Recipe

When my son was born, I made a commitment to myself to try my best to breastfeed him for a year. In the beginning, it was easy (well, relatively speaking). We had a few latching issues, along with super sore nipples, but I persevered through until we found our stride … even if it did involve a few a lot of tears.

Fast-forward five months. I was still exclusively breastfeeding my son and back at work full time. I had settled into a comfortable routine of pumping during the day and feeding my son at the breast while home. Baby was happy. Life was good. My supply was plentiful.

Then I hit a snag. A snag in the form of a “monthly visitor.”

All of a sudden, my supply plummeted and I wondered if it was the end of our nursing relationship. I frantically searched the Internet for ways to increase breastmilk production and ran across the all-so-mighty lactation cookie. Why had I never heard of this little lifesaver before?

I have to admit, at first glance it looked a little daunting. Brewer’s yeast? Flaxseed meal? Making cookies from scratch and not a box? I wasn’t sure I could pull it off. But I was desperate and willing to give it a try. I printed off the recipe and headed to Whole Foods to collect all the not-so-common ingredients. I rushed home, put the baby to bed, pulled out my mixing bowl and cookie sheets, and was ready to go!

The recipe was surprisingly easy … the clean-up, not so much. But as I watched the cookies rise from the heat in the oven, so did my expectations of what they could do.

And you know what? They did not disappoint!

I went from pumping 2 oz per breast to 5 oz per breast in LESS THAN 48 HOURS. It was amazing, my fears were calmed, and this little recipe became a regular part of my kitchen routine every 3-4 weeks.

milk supply
Seriously. This happened. Over several days of pumping.

And the great thing is, they are actually REALLY GOOD. As in, I couldn’t wait to eat them, had a hard time limiting myself to a reasonable amount, and even my husband thought they were delicious (when he unexpectedly thought I was just “baking cookies” and not a concoction to increase breastmilk supply … although rest assured, they are safe for people who are not lactating. No worries about engorged breasts or sudden leaking boobs from anyone partaking. But you do want to make it clear to anyone in your household their purpose. And trust me, once you mention the words “increase breastmilk production, supply, etc.,” no one will want to get within 10 feet of them in fear of what they could possibly do to them!).

Super Milk Boosting Lactation Cookies

There are LOTS of recipes you can find out there on the Internet for lactation cookies (aka Mother’s Milk Cookies) but this is my personal favorite, mainly because it includes a larger quantity of the three milk boosting ingredients — flaxseed, thick cut oaks and brewer’s yeast — than any of the others I came across. (Go big, or go home … right?) And you can add in some fenugreek, an herb used for increasing milk supply (found in capsule form at places like Vitamin Shoppe), for even more of a powerful punch.

I have to admit, I didn’t have a lot of these ingredients freely on hand (except raisins and fenugreek). All ingredients (excluding fenugreek) I was able to find at Whole Foods, but it did cost me upwards of $50+. But rest assured, this is a hefty initial investment and making cookies moving forward will not be as costly since brewer’s yeast, flaxseed meal, baking soda and other ingredients will not have to be purchased again (I made cookies for 2 years and did not have to purchase these ingredients but one time). So prepare for your visit, and keep in mind the investment you are making to boost your supply that will feed your baby for many days, months, years to come.

Ingredients:

1 cup butter (preferably with olive oil or flaxseed oil), softened
1 cup sugar
1 cup organic brown sugar
4 tbsp of water
2 tbsp flaxseed meal
2 large, omega 3 eggs
1 tsp vanilla extract
2 cups whole wheat flour
1 tsp baking soda
1 tsp salt
3 cups of thick cut oats
1 cup of raisins
4 tbsp of brewer’s yeast (this is the main ingredient for milk production)
9 fenugreek capsules (empty capsules and discard)

Instructions:

Preheat the oven to 375 degrees. Mix flaxseed meal and water, set aside. Sift together dry ingredients (flour, brewer’s yeast, salt, soda and fenugreek), set aside. Blend butter and sugars well. Blend in eggs, one at a time. Stir in flaxseed mix and vanilla, mix well. Add dry mixture in three equal parts. Stir in oats and raisins. Drop on baking sheet 1 inch apart. Bake for 10 – 15 minutes. Once cooled, package 5 cookies into a Ziploc bag as an easy way to keep track of your daily intact. Try to space out eating cookies throughout the day (one for breakfast, one for mid-morning snack, one at lunch, one for mid-afternoon snack, one at dinner). Enjoy!

Seriously ... these are AMAZING (taste-wise and milk producing-wise)
These are AMAZING (taste-wise and milk producing-wise)

Words of Encouragement:

I hope you find this recipe as beneficial as I have. Fast forward 3 years later and my son is still breastfeeding at 3 1/2 years. Controversial? Maybe to some people. But to me, I am providing my son with important nutrients only mama can provide (even if it’s for a few minutes before bedtime and upon waking up at this point). For you? Make the best decision that works well for you and your family. And equip yourself with information and tools to maximize your breastfeeding experience.

You got this mama!

Got a great recipe or another method that has worked well for increasing your milk supply? Share in comments!

Previous articleFashionable Modesty – It Can Be Done!
Next articleHow 9/11 Changed My Childhood
Tiffany Nettles
Tiffany traded in back-to-back business meetings and PowerPoint presentations, for sippy cups and play dates – leaving her corporate job behind to become a stay at home mom to her 16-month-old toddler. To say life is different is an understatement, and she now has a new found love and respect for the “hardest” (and best!) job she’s ever had. A native South Carolinian, Tiffany is best described as kind-hearted and friendly, with a quick sense of humor. When she’s not toting her little one around town to the latest kid friendly activity, you can find her enjoying a latte at Drip, catching up on the latest celebrity gossip magazines, or watching old reruns of Beverly Hills 90210 from the early 90′s. She received her Masters Degree in Integrated Communications from the University of South Carolina in 2007, and enjoys reading, writing and all things "mom."

139 COMMENTS

  1. Just made some tonight! I subbed the brown sugar for coconut sugar. Amazing recipe. Thank you for posting☺️ I am currently pumping 6 oz a day. I’d like to increase my stash because I share my milk with a friend. Her supply dropped after severe mastitis.

      • Just ordered my supplies I can’t wait to try it. I get alot of milk about 4-5oz every 4 hours but I pump about 30-45 Mins each time. I am hoping this will boost so I only have to pump 15 Mins. It’s alot to have to pump so long. Not to mention it hurts lol. How long would you pump for?

        • I always pumped for 10 minutes on each side. Then I realized I could pump both at the same time for 10 minutes. Gamechanger! Best of luck mama!

  2. So I just made these….maybe it is my oven but at 375 these got BURNT!! I was trying to check them but you know….mom of 3 including a newborn here so things happen. I’m going to try them again at 345 & see if that helps!!!

    • Oh no! I hate to hear this! Maybe it’s due to how different oven models can fluctuate? I’ve even found that sometimes using different cookie sheets can make one batch come out harder. I hope the next batch comes out good for you! Keep us posted!

  3. Just made these cookies today. I substituted the raisins for choc chips and baked them at 375 for 9-10 min and they came out perfect If i baked them any longer, they got burned. I used a medium cookie scoop and made about 50 cookies. Cookies were good but had a bitter little after taste ( I think it was the brewers yeast). Next time I make these I will use 3 tablespoons instead of 4 to see if it helps. Going to try the recommended 5 a day to see if it makes a difference in milk supply, fingers crossed!

    • Good luck mama! Some people do say they feel the brewer’s yeast gives off a bitter taste. I will admit it is somewhat of a different taste, but I didn’t mind it. You could maybe increase the sugar to help?

  4. I made these today and they tasted so bitter.. I couldn’t eat them and had to melt some chocolate to swirl on top to make them edible. Must be the brewers yeast that made them taste so bad.

    • Oh no! I do know some people find Brewer’s Yeast to be more bitter tasting than others. Maybe next time you make them add more sugar? Although dipping in chocolate sounds yummy too!

  5. Ok. I know this post is old but…..I have a liquid fenugreek and goats rue blend. Could I put this in in place of the capsules?

    • Things have definitely changed in the years since I wrote this post! There wasn’t a liquid option that I knew of back then (or maybe I was too knee deep in momhood to notice). I think liquid would be fine. I think the most important thing is that it includes fenugreek.

    • Oh wow! It’s been a minute since I was breastfeeding and made these cookies, but I bought whatever brand was available at Whole Foods. Do you have one near you? Honestly, I don’t think one brand of Brewer’s Yeast is better than another. Hope this helps!

  6. I just made these and boy are they sweet!!! Waay too much sugar and my cookies are bitter too. My brewers yeast says “debittered” but I’m gettin really strong bitterness. Any ideas as to why? I used the “Now” brand.

    • Hmmmm… I have never heard of debittered brewers yeast, but perhaps I just never realized there was a distinction. In researching it looks like regardless of the form used, there is always a bitter taste (after all, it’s used in brewing beer, and in general beer has a bitter taste). I would say overall, there is a difference in flavor for lactation cookies based on the ingredients, and as much as I’d like to say it’s as good as a regular cookie (or better), that’s just not the case. But the good news is, I came to actually really enjoy and crave the cookies. If you found your batch to be too sweet for your liking, I would suggest cutting the sugar amount next batch. Let me know how it works out for you!

  7. Is there another yeast that you can use besides Brewers? I’m at my son and daughter-in-law‘s and I want to make her some cookies to help produce more but where they live they do not have Brewers what I found at Walmart was nutritional yeast flakes. Will that work?

LEAVE A REPLY

Please enter your comment!
Please enter your name here