The best lactation cookie recipe
Fall in my house means it's time to fire up my KitchenAid mixer and turn on the oven! While I love a perfectly baked pumpkin bar topped with homemade cream cheese frosting I also appreciate the warm spices and nutty flavors of fall. In fact, you can catch me lining up for a chestnut praline latte over a pumpkin spice one ANY DAY. Inspired by my favorite latte and the pecans in my pantry I've created a warm cinnamon cookie for you to bake up this fall. Pop these cookies in the freezer for an easy to grab snack or keep them by your bedside for when that middle of the night feeding hunger hits. Baking is also a great way to get your kids involved in the kitchen, pictured below is my little peanut helping me with this recipe.
What makes a milk making treat anyway?
Galactagogues! Galactagogues are the milk making ingredients we find in so many lactation products hanging out on the shelves in our local Target. You don't need these things to make milk or to keep your supply, but when hidden in a tasty treat it can't hurt! The main galactagogues I use when baking are: oats, nuts and nut butters, ground flax, chia seeds, fenugreek, and brewers yeast.
I use a monster cookie base for my lactation cookies because...the more you can shove in a cookie the better. I have experimented with different nut butters and even a little Nutella, coconut oil in place of butter, gluten free flours, and different types of oats. Bottom line, these cookies are delicious and versatile.
Cinnamon Roasted Pecan Lactation Cookies
Makes 24 cookies
Ingredients for the cinnamon sugar roasted pecans
2 C Pecans
1 Egg white
1 TBSP Water
1/4 C Sugar
1 tsp Cinnamon
pinch of salt
Directions for Cinnamon Roasted Pecans
Preheat oven to 225 degrees Fahrenheit, prepare your baking sheet with cooking spray or a silicone baking mat
Combine the egg white and water in a mixing bowl. Beat the mixture until it's frothy. Fold the pecans into the egg white mixture until they are evenly coated
Combine the salt, sugar and cinnamon and shake mixture over the pecans. Stir the mixture until pecans are evenly coated. Spread the prepared nuts onto the prepared baking sheet
Bake until toasted, about an hour. Stir the mixture every 15 minutes to ensure even toasting
Reserve 1/4 C of prepared pecans for topping cookies. Chop the rest of the nuts to add to cookie mixture
Ingredients for the cookies
1/2 C Butter (or coconut oil)
1/2 C Brown Sugar
1/2 Sugar + 2 tsp cinnamon
3/4 C Peanut Butter (or almond butter, but you may need to add more)
1 Egg
1 tsp Vanilla Extract
1/4 C Ground flax
1 tsp Fenugreek (optional)
1 tsp Brewer's Yeast (optional)
1 C Oats
1 C Flour
1/4 tsp Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1/2 tsp Baking Powder
1/2 C Chocolate chips (optional)
1 3/4 C chopped Cinnamon roasted pecans and 1/4 C whole pecans from recipe above
Directions for Cookies
Preheat oven to 350 degrees Fahrenheit, prepare your baking sheet with cooking spray or a silicone baking mat
Cream softened butter, peanut butter, sugar + cinnamon, and brown sugar until creamy and well mixed
Add the egg and vanilla, mix until well combined
In a separate bowl, combine the oats, flour, salt, baking soda, baking powder, ground flax, fenugreek, and brewers yeast. Once combined slowly mix in with the wet ingredients
Once well combined, add in the chocolate chips and roasted pecans
Roll 1 TBSP of cookie batter in your hands or use a cookie scoop and place on to prepared pan. Push a whole pecan on the top of each cookie
Bake for 10-12 minutes until cookies are golden brown
*If your mixture isn't wet enough you can add a TBSP of water, melted butter, or melted peanut butter until desired consistency.
I was hoping I was going to have these for my postpartum visits this week, but it turns out they were too tasty to share. If you bring these to any new parent they will truly appreciate the warm decadence of this perfect fall cookie.
Get to baking! Add your creations to the comments section or tag us on @brightearthdoulas on Instagram with your fall lactation cookie bakes.