Happy Thursday! Today I'm sharing my secret recipe for vegan oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies! These cookies are MAGIC.  If you are breastfeeding, planning to breastfeed, or know someone who wants to breastfeed, please share this recipe with them! Or better yet, make these cookies for them! I 100% believe that these cookies helped keep my milk supply up with my children, especially during times of illness, stress, and exhaustion!

I am a HUGE proponent of nursing. I have been nursing for 5 consecutive years - and in the beginning, I struggled constantly with keeping my milk supply up for my son. I was a first time mother, working full time, and I was so exhausted, mentally and physically, but I was determined to nurse my son for at least one year, even while working. I ended up nursing my son for 22 months! And then I immediately had my daughter, Charlotte. Charlotte is now 2 and a half (turning 3 in April) and I am STILL nursing her. I honestly believe that these cookies helped me reach my full nursing potential. Whenever I'd become ill, stressed, or anything that would cause my production to dip, I'd make a quick batch of these cookies, and almost immediately my production would increase. Honestly, just like magic. 

For me, these cookies were also a wonderful way my husband could help me nurse our children. He would help make, or in many instances, make these cookies for me because he knew they were such a godsend for my milk production. And don't let  the word "lactation cookies" fool you. These cookies are delicious! Everyone can eat them (my husband probably ate half of every batch). They are delicious oatmeal chocolate chip cookies, that are satisfying for everyone. And bonus: they are vegan! You can of course make them with real butter and eggs, if you don't want vegan cookies, but I really love the way these turn out as-is. To give my cookies an extra boost of protein, I added 1-2 cups of crushed hazelnuts each time, but you don't have to. Simply my spin on them! 

I hope you enjoy these, and I hope they can help you on your personal nursing journey! 

xo, Kassy 

vegan oatmeal chocolate chip lactation cookies

active time: 27 minutes

makes 4 - 5 dozen, depending on cookie size

ingrediants

• 1 cup earth balance buttery spread (i prefer the organic whipped spread)
• 1 cup sugar
• 1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
• 4 tbs water
• 2 tbs flax seed meal
• 3 tsp Enger-G egg replacer (equalling 2 eggs)
• 1 tsp vanilla
• 3 cups flour
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 3 cup old fashion oats
• 1 cup chocolate chips
• 2-4 tbs brewer's yeast*
• 1 cup crushed hazelnuts (optional)

*Brewer's Yeast is the secret ingredient to these powerful cookies! It stimulates lactation production. Yeast is essentially breast milk's buddy. You can use only 2 tbs of brewer's yeast - but I personally prefer using 4 tbs to really get all the bang out of these magical cookies. Brewer's Yeast is also the only somewhat obscure item to make these cookies (doubt you just happen to have it in your cupboards). However, you can easily buy it at any health food store, i.e.: Sprouts or Whole Foods, and even on Amazon. 

make it

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. 
2. Mix flaxseed meal and water; let stand for 5 minutes. 
3. In a large bowl, beat butter, sugar, and brown sugar until smooth. 
4. Add eggs; mix well. 
5. Add flaxseed mix and vanilla; beat until smooth. 
6. In a separate bowl, combine the dry ingrediants: flour, brewers yeast, baking soda, and salt. Mix until throughly combined. 
7. Add the dry ingredients to the buttery mix. 
8. Slowly stir in the oats and chocolate chips, until well combined. Add hazelnuts if you want a little extra protein. 
9. Using an ice scream scoop, scoop cookies onto baking sheet.
10. Bake for 12 minutes. Remove from oven, and let stand for 3-5 minutes before removing from tray. Cool finished cookies on wire racks. 

Storage 

I personally make pretty large cookies, yielding about 4 dozen per batch.  Store in freezer-size ziplock bags, and keep out of the heat or direct sunlight. You can freeze these cookies as well, if you want to make in advance or make several batches at once so you always have them on hand. I found that I liked to snack on these at breakfast and throughout the day, so I always carried a few with me in an airtight container or ziplock baggie in my purse or diaper bag. 

Enjoy! 

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