Cookies for Nursing Mamas

I love these "nursing mama cookies" and I refuse to call them lactation cookies because that kind of sounds super gross, don't you think? But because of the oats, the brewer's yeast and the flaxseed, they do work wonders for new mamas or those whose supply isn't exactly where it should be. AND YES, I do always explain to dads and grandmas and whoever that these won't hurt a non-nursing mom...there is nothing that makes them exclusively for new moms except the name (and the fact that they help keep things flowing)! But they do work miracles and I try to bring them to all new nursing moms when I visit because they are great and also delicious and functional too. And who doesn't love a good nosh? I have no proof that these work besides anecdotal evidence, however it seriously doesn't hurt to try, right?

*A Note Regarding Ingredients: You can sub some things out, but try to leave the ratios the same and make sure you don't drastically change the amounts of any one ingredient. Like, you could use old-fashioned oats in place of steel cut (I myself used rough-cut oats because that's what I had on hand), and if you use chocolate chips instead of dried fruit, you can cut back to one cup of brown sugar. The brewer's yeast tends to leave a bit of a bitter taste, but it is a key ingredient, so add more if you like but don't cut any out. I like to use dried fruit to add a bit of fiber and pretend I'm being healthy, but you don't need to if you'd rather use chocolate. Again, use 1/2 wheat flour if you'd like to for healthiness' sake, but be aware that the taste and texture may change.

• Ingredients: 
• 
  

1. 3 tablespoons brewer's yeast
2. 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal/ground flaxseed 
3. 4 tablespoons water
4. 1 1/2 cups brown sugar (see note above)
5. 1 cup of butter, softened to room temperature 
6. 2 large eggs
7. 3 cups of steel cut oats
8. 2 cups of all-purpose flour (or 1C all-purpose, 1C wheat, if you want)
9. 1 cup of  chocolate chips OR dried fruit such as raisins, dates, dried blueberries, etc.
   
10. 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
11. 1 teaspoon salt
12. 1 teaspoon cinnamon
13. 1 teaspoon baking soda

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Mix together flaxseed meal and water, then set aside.
Cream butter and brown sugar til light and fluffy. Beat in eggs one at a time.
Stir flaxseed mixture and add, along with vanilla, to the butter mixture. Beat until blended.
Use whisk to stir together all dry ingredients except oats and chips/fruit.
SLOWLY add dry ingredients to butter mixture, stirring until fully incorporated, then stir in oats. Carefully add chips/fruit til evenly distributed.
Scoop by rounded tablespoonful onto parchment-covered baking sheet. Bake for 10-13 minutes. Makes approx. 3-4 dozen large cookies.

Recipe adapted from this recipe at justmommies.com

I dropped 2 dozen of these off for my cousin and froze the rest of the dough so that in a few months when my new little lady gets here, I can just scoop out a bit of dough, turn on my oven and make a few at a time as I need them (also helps with portion control...1 or 2 a day is great for milk production but 5 or 6 maybe not so much). Works for me!