World’s Best Lactation Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Coconut
Titling these “World’s Best Cookie” wouldn’t even be a bit hyperbolic either, because anyone who eats them, nursing mom, man, or child has all said the same thing – these cookies are the BEST! Make and freeze them for a new mom in your life, or just bring her a fresh batch straight from the oven. And make a few extras to keep for yourself.
Okay, one – just because they say ‘lactation cookies’ doesn’t mean it’s going to make you if you aren’t already a nursing mom. Let’s just clear that up right now. Biology, people. I mean they could be called ‘drool cookies’ for all I care. And two – They are THAT good that they WILL make anyone drool.
BUT, for new moms, the ingredients in these cookies are really delicious, healthy, good for you and good for getting that milk production going.
Two simple ingredients really jump start all that stuff, and I was fortunate to be bestowed a batch when I came home after Emmett.
One of my dearest friends wanted to stop by and bring a batch over for me when we finally got nestled back in at home. She had been a huge support for me through my pregnancy, a sounding board, support system and listener when I went through my birth and recovery. She was the recipient of lots of late night text messages when I needed them most. She made all of the things that make a new mom feel alone, a lot less lonely.
Ben and I ate the crap out of these cookies, and Kabri was kind enough to give me the recipe and be a true friend. These cookies are her go-to gift for new moms. And I know since I’m not the only one that has had kids recently – she makes these for all the guy’s in our construction office who’s wives have new kiddos. So, she’s been making them A LOT lately.
I’ve made variations of her original recipe each time I’ve made them, adjusting things here and there depending on what I had on hand or what mood I was in, and no matter what they always turn out delicious. These cookies are substantial. They are not dainty, they are filling and full of warm, cozy flavors.
The addition of brewers yeast and flaxseed pack a one-two punch for new moms. If you’re not in the mood to have a beer, this does the same thing, helping usher in your milk supply. Flaxseed helps with this too, and provides healthy fats to your system, which are also good for your heart health. Truth be told, I add in a quarter teaspoon of brewers yeast and a teaspoon of ground flaxseed to my smoothies in the morning.
You can make and modify these cookies however you want. They are thick, and dense, packed with oats, coconut, chocolate and nuts if you would like.
I have been known to microwave mine for a couple seconds just to get the chocolate to start melting again. AND be sure to follow my tutorial on how to freeze cookies! Freeze them for when you just want one or two, or make half a batch and freeze the other half to gift to a new mom.
Love this lactation cookies recipe?
Try other cookie recipes like Girl Scout Tagalong Cookie Cake, Pecan Chocolate Fudge Chunk Cookies, and Dark Chocolate Chunk Oatmeal Coconut Cookies.
World's Best Lactation Cookies with Dark Chocolate and Coconut
Ingredients:
- 3 cups Old Fashioned Oats
- 1 1/2 cups Flour
- 5 Tbsp Brewers Yeast
- 3 Tbsp Ground Flaxseed
- 1/2 tsp Baking Powder
- 1/2 tsp Baking Soda
- 1/2 tsp Ground Cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp Salt
- 16 Tbsp Unsalted Butter, Cubed (2 sticks)
- 4 Tbsp Virgin Coconut Oil
- 1 1/2 Cups Sugar (feel free to reduce by 1/4 cup)
- 2 Eggs
- 1 Tbsp Vanilla
- 1 1/2 cups Semi-Sweet or Dark Chocolate Chips/Chunks
- 1/2 cup Shredded Coconut
- 1/2 cup Chopped Walnuts *optional*
Directions:
Preheat the oven the 350 degrees F.
In a large bowl, whisk together the flour, yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, soda, cinnamon and salt. Next, add in the oats and combine.
In the bowl of your electric mixer, beat the butter and coconut oil on medium speed until creamy, about 1-2 minutes. Add in the sugar and beat on medium to high speed until fluffy, about 2 minutes, scraping down the sides of the bowl if needed. Add in the egg and egg yolk, beating until combined, about 2 to 3 minutes. Make sure you scrape the bowl to make sure that it is all evenly mixed.
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 chocolate chips, coconut and nuts, until combined.
Scoop the dough into 1-inch rounds, or use a large cookie scoop to make them uniform, 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 storing in a sealed container.
*NOTES*
- You can adjust the ratio of butter/coconut oil. I have done it as a 50/50 blend and they were great.
- You can remove 1/4 cup of sugar if desired without sacrificing much flavor.
- You could swap some brown sugar with white sugar for a chewier cookie. Some, but not all.
- Swap up to 1/2 cup of whole wheat flour for 1/2 cup of all purpose, if desired.
- These cookies might not spread much, but remain quite tall. That is okay!
Megan’s friend, Kabri!
Not lactating here, but pretty sure I still need these!! 🙂
I don’t plan on lactating any time soon, but I still want all these cookies!
Making these right now and they look awesome! I’m definitely going to add some brewers yeast and flaxseed to my smoothies too. Thanks for the recipe and tips!
Just wanted to pop on and say that these were delicious! Not sure about their effectiveness yet but they taste great!
I’m glad they tasted great! I know they helped me. But if you want to try adjusting the flax seed and brewer’s yeast content, give it a go!
These are ABSOLUTELY delicious!!!!! My husband didn’t like them (not a big fan of oatmeal or coconut) – MORE FOR ME!!!!! Not sure about lactation results yet as they literally just came out of the oven, but I’ll come back to report!
Wonderful!! And feel free to adjust the flaxseed and brewer’s yeast to your liking!! And hey, if they don’t help you with your lactation, at least they are still delicious!
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My cookie dough was quite dry, so I added a few drops of water and had to squish these into balls and then flatten out into disks to bake. They didn’t spread (as expected) and did puff up but deflated slightly once cooled.
Taste wise, though? SO GOOD. I have had my share of lactation cookies while I was nursing and pumping, but these are probably the best I’ve had. I’m making these for a friend who’s just had a baby, but I’m eating one from every tray as they come out of the oven. Thank you for a super recipe! (I left out nuts and coconut, swapped a bit of stone ground flour, and swapped about .5 cup of brown sugar.)
Omg these are so good! I didn’t read the directions and just added all the ingredients together in a big bowl lol oops, but then transferred to the mixer bowl and it was fine. They fall apart but they are super tasty. Next time I will combine everything in the proper order and maybe they’ll hold together better. Even if these don’t help my milk production, they are worth the time it takes to make them!
Oh and I didn’t grind the flax seeds either, no biggie as far as I can tell
Thanks for making these Chas! I am so glad you liked them!
Ok last comment lol the grocery didn’t have brewers yeast so I just used dried yeast, and I also didn’t separate the second egg yolk 🤷♀️
Chas, it’s definitely worth it to get the brewer’s yeast. The dried yeast from the store is for breads, so it will give the cookies a different taste and different texture. You can find brewer’s yeast on Amazon!!
Can I use salted butter for these and just ditch the 1/4 tsp salt? I accidentally bought salted butter instead of unsalted 🤦🏻♀️
Addy, yes you can!! 🙂
Can you use 1 minite instant oats?
I wouldn’t recommend it. Old fashioned oats is your best bet.
Could I substitute coconut palm sugar for the white sugar in this recipe?
You can, but it will change the texture of the cookies. It’s worth a try, but I can’t testify to the results since I haven’t tried it myself. Good luck and please let me know how they turn out if you try them with coconut palm sugar!!
Is that really a tablespoon of vanilla or a typo?
Yes, it really is a tablespoon. 🙂
If I am using all purpose flour do I still need the baking powder?
Yes, you definitely do. 🙂
I suggest adding raisins and extra salt. Best cookies ever. I also doubled the cinnamon, flax seed and brewers yeast. I couldn’t find brewers yeast, so I ground up brewers yeast vitamins from the pharmacy.
Raisins is such an excellent add!! Thanks for the suggestion!
These cookies are totally good for my health! Thank for your recipe, now I know the way to make cookies with dark chocolate.
Dark chocolate is a must!! Thanks
I followed the recipe as written , the dough was quite crumbly, and so we’re the baked cookies. So I added another egg to the remaining dough, these came out better,more of a solid cookie. Delish😋
Jennifer, thank you so much for the feedback!! i really appreciate it!
This is the most delicious lactation cookie! The only thing different I did was 1 cup of pure cane sugar and 1/2 cup of brown sugar and 2 cups of chocolate chips. I made them a bit larger and baked them for 14 mins and 30 seconds. They held together well. Thanks for the recipe!
Is there a way to make these without the butter? Trying to be dairy free.
Hi Carol, you can try using a vegan butter substitute, but I haven’t tried them this way myself. The textures might change, but I hope it helps!
How many is a serving?!
I’m on my 4th & 5th batches of these. The very first taste of my first one, I could definitely taste something different (probably the yeast?) but you get used to it pretty quick and these taste great! I ended up adding a generous pour of unsweetened applesauce for moistness because they are a drier cookie. To save time, I make 2 batches at a time, bake them in pan, let them cool, cut them into squares, and freeze them in smaller containers (of about 8) and pull out a container as needed. Thanks for the recipe!
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Just made these for a friend (and saved some for myself since I still have a feeding baby!) and they are EXCELLENT. This is my favorite lactation cookie recipe to date!
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How do you think these would turn out with Quick/Instant Oats? Might have to give it a shot since that’s what I’ve got on hand!
I think it is worth a shot, but I can not testify to the final result! If you do try it, please let me know how they work out!
Wow-zers!!!!! These are AMAZING!! (And to think, I was gonna buy those lactation cookies that were described as chips a hoy). So, some of the things I did: 3 times the recipe (made a lot!! I mean, I had to mix it in my lobster pot & had enough to put in my deep freezer cause my regular freezer was packed!). I also used semi sweet mini chips (cause that’s what I had on hand) and regular sized milk chocolate morsels. The recipe did not specify to used sweetened or unsweetened coconut shavings so I got the sweetened ones & I used the less sugar version (I feel like I could probably go with even less sugar but of course I used milk chocolate & sweet coconuts, not sure if I would feel that way if I used dark & unsweetened). I also did regular cookies & made the bars (as another person had suggested, & both came out great!!). I also, didn’t put in the nuts! Now for the real reason I made these… BRING ON THE MILK!!! Wow, literally hours after eating these, while nursing I started leaking out the other side! So so happy!!!
Hmmm, glad everyone enjoyed these so much. Just as others have suggested, my dough was really dry and crumbly. And I even left out the coconut flakes – can’t imagine how dry they would have been with those added. Anyway, I enjoy the flavor, but the texture is unnecessarily dry and I don’t see any reason not to adjust, at least enough to keep the cookies from crumbling apart. My suggestion: go ahead and use 16Tbsp butter and 2 WHOLE eggs initially, and maybe a splash of water/milk. It won’t change the effectiveness of the lactation support, since that is coming from the brewer’s yeast and oats. Plus, Mamas can use the nourishing fats. Thanks!
Thanks so much for your feedback Lindsay!! I’ll go back to the drawing board!
Megan, that recipe looks so yummy! I’ll have to try that one. Thanks for sharing.
I cut the sugar in half and used dark chocolate chips because of my personal taste preferences, but I followed the rest of the recipe exactly. These are delicious, and I didn’t think the dough was too dry like others have said. They held together well, and I really like the texture. It may be too soon to tell if these help me produce more milk, but they are a pleasure to eat!
Maddy, I am so pleased you enjoyed them!! And even if they don’t help with your milk supply, every new mama deserves a treat!!
Has anybody ever tried to do this with almond flour or half almond flour/wheat flour?
Hi Lindsey, no I don’t believe so. But it you do, it will probably require an adjustment in the butter/egg ratio to make sure they stick together. If you do try it, let us know how they turn out!
I really wanted to try with chocolate, but mine melted on me before I could use them. I added dried cranberries instead with coconut and walnuts and they taste amazing! They will be a good breakfast cookie too! I can barely taste the yeast at all so I will have no trouble getting these down. I just hope it works.
Do you have the nutritional info for these? They are amazing btw!!
Allison, no I don’t do nutritional info on my recipes, but you can use some websites on the internet that will do the calculations if you input the ingredients.
FANTASTIC!! I healthy-fied these and also made them gluten / dairy free but used your recipe as a base and they taste amazing. Seriously great recipe – thank you so much!!
I have my first batch in the oven and can’t wait after reading all of these reviews! To freeze, would you freeze extra dough or bale and freeze the cookies?
Hi Tania! I would freeze the dough into balls, so that way you just have to pop the right number onto the sheet and bake! Here is my guide to freezing cookies, I hope it helps! https://www.countrycleaver.com/2016/04/how-to-freeze-cookie-dough.html
Decided to double the batch and freeze for myself (due early January) and my sister (due mid-april). Holy HECK these are AMAZING!!! I only made a few tweaks, mostly based on other comments, but followed the recipe otherwise. Baked a test batch to make sure they were worth freezing, and let me just say I’m a little sad I can’t eat them all right now.
Adjustments: used 2 whole eggs, used 1 cup white sugar and 1/2 cup dark brown sugar, added extra cinnamon (my preference), and baked a few extra minutes because they were kind of falling apart. I originally baked for 12 mins, total cook time was 15 mins @ 350. I used semisweet chips and sweetened coconut flakes, but did not add nuts because mama is on a budget.
Be sure to send a link to your post to my wife and copy the recipe for myself. Cool and custom.
Just baked these (while my LO slept) and gotta say they were divine! Wasn’t sure how these would go, but I am a competent baker and these turned out great! If I can keep them from my hubby long enough, they might actually get a chance to work! 😉 In Australia here, it is hard to find Brewer’s Yeast, but I found some and was very excited to finally try this recipe. I normally rest my cookie doughs I make before I bake, but I am happy to say, these didn’t need it at all, which is a lifesaver as a busy new Mum- keep the great recipes coming! x
Tiffany – I am so so pleased that these were a hit!! They saved me during my nursing journey as well. I am also going to share my dairy free version as well, because some wee babes have a rough time with dairy. But no mom should be without a cookie!
I just made these cookies for my daughter who due to a c-section has had some breast feeding issues. A tip for any of you worried that the dough may be a bit dry. As an experienced baker, I added the oats last in increments to see how the dough was coming along. I did end up omitting just 1/2 cup of oats. I also added a tablespoon of blackstrap molasses to the butter & sugar mixture when I creamed it as well as using 1 cup white cane sugar & 1/4 cup brown sugar. Blackstrap has such great mineral & vitamin properties that I couldn’t resist. In any event, it’s a fantastic recipe that can definitely withstand minor tweaks according to individual tastes so thank you so much for sharing these with us! To anyone wanting to make these vegan, even crisco is just vegetable shortening & can substitute butter. All butter substitutes are just whipped oils made to look & taste like butter. Having said that, chose carefully as they all have different “smoking points” and tend to make a crisper cookie where butter mixed with oil/vegetable shortening tend to make a cookie that’s both chewy & crispy.
Thank you so much for all of this info Eve!! I have made a dairy free version with coconut oil, too! I hope your daughter likes these, and congrats to her!!
I made these (followed the recipe exactly) for my daughter-in-law following the birth of my granddaughter. They were delicious and worked great! I left extra dough in the refrigerator for later, when I left. I agree that they dough doesn’t spread so I ended up flattening out for a more “cookie-ish” shape; other than that they were awesome. Thank you.
Thank you so much for your review, Valerie! And congrats to you DIL for the new addition!! I hope they help her!
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