There is a new baby in the family. YAY! My sister went and had herself the cutest baby child. Which means, there is a new hungry mouth to feed. But as we know with new babies, it’s a huge pressure on the new mommy to produce enough milk for the baby. You should know that feeding the baby is a journey, everything is new and there is no wrong or right way to do it, you have to do what is best for you and your child.
It’s definitely a time of transition and sometimes it can be super stressful for the mom. I mean, it’s not like we can bake a batch of cookies for the baby right? This is where Khala (auntie) comes in.
Well, hear me out. What if you could? I’m up for that! Cookies for the baby! I’m totally game.
Okay, the baby isn’t directly going to eat the cookies silly, YOU ARE. That is, the breastfeeding momma. These cookies that I am about to share with you, are known to be full of ingredients that are great to increase the supply of breast milk. They are called lactation aides. Certain foods are better to consume than others. They either help in the healing process after birth or they help in increasing the supply of breast milk available to your baby.
Food for thought...
When you are a breast-feeding/pumping mom, it is recommended to consume certain foods that will help you to produce a good deal of high quality milk. Certain foods that contain “galactogogue” – a substance naturally occurring in certain foods to be beneficial to increase milk supply.
Some of those foods include:
- oats
- barley
- seeds and nuts: almonds, flax seeds, fenugreek seeds, black seeds
- brewer’s yeast
- ghee (clarified butter)
- coconut oil
- dark green leafy veggies
- dates
To begin, make sure you eat a small amount of the above foods to determine if they are helping you make more milk or if you have any reactions like bloating or gas, if you are getting bloated, it is best to avoid that food.
In this cookie recipe, I wanted to incorporate the things I knew that worked for me. But I also wanted to keep it approachable with the exception of one ingredient. All the stuff I used to make these cookies are probably already in your pantry, and guess what? they are practically magic. Who knew oats and flax and ghee, and coconut oil would be so amazing? Well we did.. but you know… go with me here. The oats, and flax are super good for your milk supply and the fats help to aide in postpartum recovery and add good calories to your daily intake so that you have the energy to produce the milk you need to produce for your little one.
So what's the exception? Brewer's Yeast.
A lot of people SWEAR by the positive effects of brewer’s yeast for lactation. For muslims, it can seem a little risque. The question comes into play… is it halal or is it haram? (can a muslim consume brewers yeast if they only eat halal food?)
Based on my research, brewer’s yeast is used in the fermentation process of alcohol. However, it is not alcohol itself. So upon further research I felt that it was alright for us to consume. I would link to that research, but I feel that if brewer’s yeast does not seem right for you, you should not consume it. Please do your own research to determine if it is right for you. If you choose to omit the brewers yeast, I would substitute in 1/4 cup of almond meal.
My husband had these! Will he lactate?
OMG! Grab a pump and collect that liquid gold!
JUST KIDDING.
These make a super yummy energy cookie. The great thing about galactogogue containing foods is that it works in different ways in the person that is eating them. A postpartum mother has hormones running through her that another person will not. Thus, it won’t affect them the same way as a new mom. I have also eaten them, and they just gave energy and did not make my milk ducts suddenly come alive. I assure you.
These cookies make an excellent gift for new moms and are super tasty, so you will be a new mom’s fave and in the running for God-mother.
I promise.
Coconut Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies With Brewer's Yeast
Ingredients
- 3 cups old-fashioned rolled oats
- 1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
- 5 tablespoons brewers yeast
- 3 tablespoons ground flaxseed
- 1/2 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon baking soda
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 1 cup organic ghee Browned butter Ghee
- 1/4 cup organic virgin coconut oil
- 1 1/2 cups organic brown sugar
- 2 large eggs 1 whole, 1 just yolk
- 2 teaspoons vanilla extract
Add-ins (Optional)
- 1/2 cup chocolate chips/chunks I used a Lindt chocolate bar
- 1/2 cup unsweetened flaked coconut
- 1/2 cup white chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat the oven the 350 degrees F.
- In a large bowl, whisk together the oats, flour, yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt.
- In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the ghee and coconut oil on medium speed until light and creamy.
- Add in the sugar and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy, about 4 to 5 minutes Remember to scrape down the sides of the bowl if needed.
- Add in the egg and egg yolk, beating until combined, about 2 to 3 minutes. Add in the vanilla extract and beat until combined again.
- Gradually add in the dry ingredients, beating on low speed until just combined and mixed.
- Stir in the add ins with a spatula until they are evenly dispersed.
- Scoop the dough into 1-inch rounds (I use an ice cream scoop so they are fairly uniform in size) and place on a baking sheet about 2 inches apart.
- Bake for 10 to 14 minutes, or until the bottoms are just golden. Let cool completely before eating!
Notes
- This dough can be frozen. Scoop and freeze on a baking sheet for 2 hours. Then store them in a ziploc bag and take them out to bake as you need.
- add two min to bake time if you are baking from frozen.
- any add ins should measure out to 1 1/2 cups so if you want to customize the combo, go for it!
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