These easy lactation cookies have the comforting textures and flavors of oats and almond butter. They're seasoned with fennel and have only a small amount of sweetener. A light, quick cookie, they're the perfect gift for a new mama in your life - and the rest of the family will love them, too!

My second grandson was born six weeks ago, and I've been happy to find ways to help. Besides hanging out with the 2 ½-year old, I've also baked several batches of these cookies.

My daughter-in-law enjoys lactation cookies, and feels that they work for her. Baking them gives me a supportive task that the toddler can help with and he also enjoys doing something for mama.

The cookies are good enough that others in the family besides the nursing mama will want to eat them, though! So I’ve been aiming to make a batch a week. Inspired by how tasty these cookies are, we've tried some other recipes, too, including no-bake - stay tuned!

What are the key ingredients in lactation cookies?

Lactation cookies contain galactogogues. That's a mouthful: "ga-lac-to-gog" that means substances found in various herbs and foods that promote milk production, or lactation. Having enough milk is a big deal in those early weeks when you want to be sure the baby is gaining enough weight.

Oats - a good source of iron

Brewer’s yeast - an excellent source of iron, protein and B vitamins

Fennel - has been used to increase the supply of milk in nursing women for centuries

Other galactogogues include flax seed and fenugreek. You can even stir in some chocolate chips, too - we kept it simple for this batch.

Plus, these cookies make for an easy snack to grab when a new baby takes up so much time and energy. They’re not too sweet - we reduced the amount of sweetener from the original recipe.

These lactation cookies are gluten-free with gluten-free oats. You could substitute quinoa flakes for a similar texture if you react to oats or want a grain-free recipe.

Why use a food processor for almond butter-oat lactation cookies?

You don't have to use a food processor - this cookie dough is easy to stir together with a spoon. But, using one accomplishes two things.

The cookies go together very quickly and because the recipe is low in oil, the food processor is easy to clean.
The food processor chops the oats a bit as the mixing happens, which results in a smooth, fine-textured oat cookie.

Do I have to include brewer's or nutritional yeast in almond butter-oat lactation cookies?

If nutritional yeast is not an ingredient that you normally have on hand, you can leave it out. We use it for a non-dairy, cheesy flavor in soups like this mac and cheese soup, and dips like this black bean dip, so it was convenient for us.

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