These slightly-sweet and very satisfying carrot cake lactation cookies are a great treat to bring new moms, as it helps stimulate milk production thanks to the addition of brewer’s yeast and rolled oats.
Can I confess something? When Kaitlyn was a newborn, and nearly never let me put her down, I — like so many new moms! — found myself eating on the fly, grabbing snacks off of Hailey’s plate or finding things in the kitchen that I could eat one-handed.
More than once, these lactation “breakfast” cookies also served as lunch, dinner and between-meal snacks, with a few pieces of fruit on the side.
I made the cookie only slightly sweet and full of goodness like carrots, raisins, nuts and coconut oil to make it a delicious and decently nutritious option for a new breastfeeding mom to grab as part of breakfast or for a great one-handed snack.
The secret with these, as with other lactation cookies is the addition of brewer’s yeast.
It stimulates milk supply, as do rolled oats, which are also in these cookies.
I did learn not to have more than two at a time — while taste-testing, I once ate three, and WOW-ZAH, my milk was out. of. control. (I wasn’t up for experiencing that again.)
The cookies come together fairly quickly in a typical mix your dry ingredients…then add your wet ingredients and stir kind of way.
(Look at little Hailey helping me in the kitchen!)
You could also mix, form and freeze the dough balls to bake on an as-needed basis.
So whip yourself up a batch (whether you are breastfeeding or not… I had to convince David that they wouldn’t cause him to spontaneously lactate) or bring some to a new mom who will certainly appreciate and devour any food , but will really appreciate a helpful cookie!
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Carrot Cake Lactation Breakfast Cookies for New Moms
- Prep Time: 10 minutes
- Cook Time: 10 minutes
- Total Time: 20 minutes
- Yield: 12 cookies 1x
- Category: cookie
Description
This slightly-sweet and very satisfying carrot cake inspired cookie is a great treat to bring new moms, as it helps stimulate milk production thanks to the addition of Brewer’s yeast and rolled oats.
Ingredients
- 1/2 cup all purpose flour
- 1/2 cup whole wheat flour
- 1/2 cup rolled oats
- 1/2 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 3 Tbsp granulated sugar
- 1/3 cup brown sugar
- 2 Tbsp Brewer’s yeast
- 1/4 cup coconut oil, warmed until liquid
- 1 egg
- 1 tsp vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup grated carrots
- 1/2 cup raisins
- 1 tsp unsalted butter
- 1/3 cup pecans
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Melt the butter in a pan on the stovetop over medium heat, then add the pecans. Stir occasionally for 2-5 minutes until the nuts are toasted, then remove them from the heat.
- In a large bowl, mix together flours, oats, baking powder, salt, cinnamon and Brewer’s yeast.
- In a separate bowl, mix egg, sugar, vanilla and coconut oil. Slowly mix in dry ingredients and stir until well combined.
- Stir in carrots, raisins and toasted pecans.
- Spoon tablespoon-sized scoops onto an ungreased cookie sheet and form into flat round cookie-shaped discs.
- Bake 8-10 minutes and let cool.
Notes
You will taste the Brewer’s yeast in these cookies. If it’s too strong, you can decrease the amount to 1 Tbsp, but remember that it’s the key to stimulating milk production, so you need to keep it in!
You can mix this by hand, but you’ll find it easier to get the ingredients blended properly if you use a mixer.
Watch the pecans carefully while toasting them — they burn easily!
(Note: updated with new photos and small recipe tweaks in June 2018)
Marjorie says
These look great! I used to just make the oatmeal ones, but I love all of your healthy add-ins. True story: my hubby used to eat my lactation cookies…LOL!
Kathy says
Those cookies look delish!! And nothin’ wrong with holding a baby all day long. 🙂
alex says
wish i liked carrot cake…you should make some chocolate chip ones 😉
Brittany Dixon says
If you aren’t a carrot cake fan, I also love these from Heather Eats Almond Butter- check them out!
http://heathereatsalmondbutter.com/recipes/lactation-cookies-heabified/
Christine McGregor says
Thanks for creating this recipe. I’ve been nursing for 6 months and as my son now drinks about 5 oz of milk at each feeding and my supply is not keeping pace. Typical at this point for me. I was just thinking about making some lactation cookies. I did brewer’s yeast and mother’s milk tea before with my older son. My second son is a much better breast feeder but I definitely don’t produce as much as I once did. Looks like I’m be headed to the store to get some brewer’s yeast! I always found it so interesting how 2 Tblsp of brewer’s yeast in an entire recipe can get things flowing. I’ve been a fan for a while and admired your organization feature you did before the baby arrived. I tried to do the same and made it through most of the rooms. But now as the my boys are moving up in size and toys our rooms need a make over and organization. I’ll be reviewing your strategies to help get us through it. Keep up the great work!
Brittany Dixon says
I was surprised 2 Tbsp made a difference, too! I was even going to add more but worried it would mess with the flavor. I’ll tell you, too, I ate only ONE last night and had to pump a little this morning because they were so full. Of course, I do know I am sensitive to the stuff which is why I can’t drink beer for a while either. It creates an oversupply problem for me too!
Sarah (shu) says
I am sooooo making these this weekend!!
katie says
I had no idea lactation cookies existed, but now I want to tell all my friends and bake some for the one who is pregnant!
Nikki says
Made these for a friend who needed to boost her supy for her son in NICU. They are so delicious. I cant stop eating them lol. I substitute the raisins with dried pineapple because my friend hates raisin. In retrospect I should have used canned pineapple so it would add some moisture and not take away from cookies. None they less they are great!
★★★★★
Tiff says
I struggled with low supply, one of the reasons I quit, so I’ll have to bookmark this for baby #2!
Elizabeth @ My Neon Running Shoes says
These do work wonders! I had low supply with Noah so with her I wanted to avoid that stress and made a batch of these… I pumped on one side and fed on the other for a week and by the end of the week would have 30 extra oz at the end of the day. I had to stop eating them but it’s so nice to know they are there if you ever need a boost! Thanks for sharing a different variety!
Laura @ Mommy Run Fast says
What a great idea! I struggled to keep my milk supply high with L so it’s definitely something I’m already thinking about this time around. And these look so yummy!!
Matt @ Runner Savvy says
Lol I’m not lactating and I would eat these!
char eats greens says
They look amazing!! That’s funny about David! Nia will actually point to Tyler’s nipple sometimes and say milk… l laugh! haha
Sarah@creatingbettertomorrow says
Saving this and coming back to it in oh about 2 months when I’m a breast feeding fool 🙂
Lindsey says
These look amazing! I have been breastfeeding 8.5 months and still going strong. I hope to make it to at least a year so this recipe may come in handy. Thanks for sharing!
Kristin says
I love your posts! I’m due with babygirl #2 in 12 weeks, so been thinking/planning for freezer meals and snacks. Do these cookies freeze well, or is it best to bake them up fresh due to the ingredients (ie: brewer’s yeast)?
Megan Brain says
I am going to give these a go. I have had lactation cookies with choc chips but these seem like they would be a yummy variation on the recipe I have been using and a bit easier even, if you don’t include grating the carrot. I will probably add ground Flaxseed soaked in water, as they are in all the other lactation cookie recipes I have tried.
★★★★
Trisha says
Made these yesterday and they turned out fabulous! Just enough sweetness. I did add ground flaxseed meal, as I have seen that in other recipes (about 2Tbls) and found I needed to add just a little milk to it (1Tbls) to keep it moist. Having these as my pumping snack with my first week back to work. Thanks!
Holly says
The mix was initially a little dry so I added an extra egg. Delicious!!!
★★★★★
Brittany Dixon says
Thank you for the feedback Holly! So glad you enjoyed them!
mandi sommer says
Can these be frozen?
Brittany Dixon says
Yes they can!
Kathleen says
I’ve tried several recipes for lactation cookies and these are my favorite. They are the perfect treat for middle of the night nursing munchies (a real thing) and do seem to give my milk supply a little boost.
★★★★★
Brittany Dixon says
Thanks so much for the feedback, Kathleen! I’m so glad you liked them!
Amanda says
Excellent… can’t speak to milk supply effects because baby isn’t here yet. Did tweak a little even though it was my first time trying recipe (couldn’t resist)- Added one flax “egg” with wet ingredients, used crushed/chopped walnuts instead of pecans, rehydrated raisins for a bit in water before squeezing out then adding to dough with carrots (heaping half cup full) and nuts, added maybe 1/4 to 1/3 cup of toasted coconut chips just because I had them on hand and love coconut. Maybe an extra tablespoon of
brown sugar also. Dough was initially a smidge dry when adding in wet ingredients so sprinkled a little water on and mixed. Dough ended up a little bit wet and sticky once all ingredients mixed but these turned out a little bit cakey and taste awesome. Will be a welcome snack when baby finally comes.
★★★★★
Amanda says
Update…I’ve made these probably 4 times now and they’re my favorite lactation snack I’ve made. I do think they make a difference and I enjoy the taste. I have used all whole wheat flour now and still liked the recipe. I always include the flax egg and have even upped the brewers yeast with success. I do not feel they need the extra sugar (I don’t mind them being less sweet) so I usually only use the 1/3 cup of brown and no white sugar. Grateful for having these in the fridge after that 3 am feeding!
Christine says
I LOVED these with my oldest In 2018-2019! I’m now preparing for our second, who will likely need to come a bit early and via c-section. Knowing I will probably need a little boost to get going with breastfeeding, I was hoping to make these ahead of time. I see you mention freezing the dough to cook as needed, but can you freeze the already-baked cookie and thaw as needed, too? Do they still hold up and have the same impact?
Brittany Dixon says
You can definitely freeze the entire cookie if you prefer for convenience! Freezing the dough just results in the freshly baked effect, but both will still be delicious. Congratulations!!
Leann says
These were SO good! My husband won’t stop stealing them!