Lactation Cookies

One of the unexpected things in my life is the desire to increase my breast milk production. It is so irksome to me to have to feed my child an artificial supplement. Beside relieving stress which turns out to be impossible, there are a few things recommended out there for the nursing mother: mother’s milk tea (I dislike hot beverages), blessed thistle and fenugreek capsules (I am resistant to the idea of choking down five giant capsules two to three times daily, as I only learned to swallow pills a few years ago, prescription medicine (a no-go for me on principle), and certain foods known as galactagogues (which autocorrect amusingly wanted to make galaxy agonies). These foods include anise, garlic, carrots, sesame seeds, fenugreek, fennel, oatmeal, ginger, brewer’s yeast, nuts, green papaya, and a mysterious thing called lactation cookies. I now know how to make these as a tasty treat because I was not going to pay the outrageous prices asked for the commercial lactation cookies.

NOTE: These are tasty for all and should not cause lactation in those who are not nursing.  No promises, however, I am not a doctor.

Paleo Chocolate Chunk Lactation Cookies (Desserts) Makes 36-ish.

• 2 cups almond flour
• 1/2 cup flax seed meal
• 1 tsp baking soda
• 1 tbsp ground anise seed
• 1 tbsp ground sesame seeds
• 1 tsp ground ginger
• 2 tsp fenugreek powder (~6 capsules)
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 cup coconut oil, melted
• 1/2 cup maple syrup
• 1 tbsp vanilla extract
• 1/2 cup macadamia nuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup walnuts, chopped
• 1/2 cup dates, chopped or dried cranberries
• 2/3 cup chocolate chunks or 1 fancy bar dark chocolate, hammered

1. Preheat oven to 350°. 
2. Grease or line a cookie sheet.
3. Combine flour, flax, baking soda, and ground spices in a medium-large bowl.
4. Whisk together eggs, coconut oil, maple syrup, and vanilla extract in another bowl.
5. Make a well in the dry ingredients and slowly add wet ingredients.
6. Fold in nuts, fruit, and chocolate.
7. Using a cookie scooper or large spoon, drop onto a lined or greased cookie sheet, pushing down to spread and leaving an inch between them.
8. Bake for 10-12 minutes. 
9. Let stand for ten minutes on the pan, then transfer to the cooling rack.  Repeat as needed.
10. 
    

Substitutions

Nut-free and Not Paleo: substitute all-purpose flour for almond flour and rolled oats for the nuts.  Consider adding 1/2 cup sunflower kernels and/or pumpkin seeds and doubling the ground sesame seed for texture and more galactagogue content, which you lose by removing the nuts.

Gluten-free and Not Paleo: Substitute oat flour for almond flour and sunflower kernels or pumpkin seeds for the nuts.  For the best texture, make your own oat flour by grinding rolled oats, not steel-cut, in a blender or food processor.

Pro-Tip:

You can form cookies and freeze them on a lined pan. When they are cool, transfer them to a freezer bag for baking later. This is especially useful for fresh foods lacking preservatives that you may not consume quickly.

Leave the cookies on the pan to form the full ten minutes.  Paleo cookies are fragile and need time to firm up.

If you accidentally overcook one batch, put the cookies at the bottom of your cookie jar or airtight container.  The contained environment with the rest of the cookies will re-moisten them.

This last tip is handy if you decide they need two more minutes, but the person setting the timer sets them for two hours, and you only realize something is amiss after five or so minutes.  True story.