These lactation cookies are incredible, packed full of nutrients, low in sugar and naturally encourage lactation. The best part? They help to keep you satisfied and hunger at bay during those late night feedings. Postpartum for the first year is a marathon not a sprint and it is nice to have little treats in your freezer that pack a punch with nutrients and protein! Yes, you hear that right! My secret ingredient? Lentils! Yes, lentils in cookies! I promise, it is delicious.
Lactation cookies are usually full of sugar, chocolate and supplementation for milk production.. These lactation cookies are packed full with real whole foods that will help to naturally promote lactation and satisfy hunger at all hours of the night without spiking your blood sugar. You know the feeling well, it is 3:00am you are on your second feeding and your stomach feels like it is eating itself? Tossing and turning while you are feeding another little being with your body. Yep. We know far too well. There is no time to make a snack more than a bowl of sugary kids cereal or a piece of peanut butter toast. Well, I got you mama… make a ton of these cookies and store them in your freezer for those late night wakings! Even better, send this recipe to a friend or family member that asks how they can help!
Another pro about these lactation cookies is that they are not “lactation-only” cookies. They are cookies that just happen to help promote lactation and work perfectly for this specific need but they also make a great snack for the whole family and a great lunchbox addition! My kids love these cookies and honestly have no idea that there are lentils in there. Almost like a “trail mix” biscuit meets seedy cookie meets energy ball.
These cookies are packed with sunflower seeds, hulled pumpkin seeds, sesame seeds, raisins, oats, flaxseed, lentils, honey and of course dark chocolate chips. These cookies are iron rich, protein powered and galactagogues rich foods. And, did I mention delicious?
Some of the Amazing Ingredients…
red lentils, drained and cooled
raw sunflower seeds
raw hulled pumpkin seeds
raw white or ideally black sesame seeds
golden or black raisins
rolled oats
ground cinnamon
ground golden flaxseed
avocado oil
honey
dark chocolate chips
Recipe Notes: Cook the lentils first or the day before as they need to be cool for the recipe. The seeds can also be toasted in advance as well and stored in an airtight container in your refrigerator. The dough refrigerated and freezes well for convenient cookie baking in the future. You can also bake cookies and store them in the freezer. Recipe adapted from PNW Veg by Kim O’Donnel.
Ella’s Lactation Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup cooked red lentils, drained and cooled Cook the lentils first or the day before as they need to be cool for the recipe.
- 1/2 cup raw sunflower seeds
- 1/2 cup hulled pumpkin seeds
- 1/2 cup raw white or ideally black sesame seeds
- 1 cup raisins (black or golden)
- 1 cup hot water
- 2 1/4 cups quick cooking (not instant) rolled oats
- 1 cup all-purpose flour
- 1 teaspoon baking powder
- 1/2 teaspoon fine sea salt
- 1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
- 4 tablespoons golden flaxseed, ground
- 1/4 cup avocado oil
- 3/4 cup honey
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- 1/2 cup dark chocolate chips
Instructions
- Cook your red lentils. Red lentils typically self puree while cooking which is perfect for these cookies. If they do not naturally puree, then gently whisk them to puree after cooking. In a small saucepan over medium-high heat, bring ½ cup pre-rinsed red lentils and 1 ½ cups water to a boil. Cover, reduce the heat to medium low and gently simmer for about 15-20 minutes. Drain any extra water and cool.
- Toast your seeds. Place the sunflower and pumpkin seeds in a dry skillet over medium heat until aromatic or lightly toasting for about 5 minutes. Transfer these seeds to a bowl to cool. Toast sesame seeds in the skillet now for about 1-2 minutes and add to the bowl of cooling seeds.
- Soak the raisins in the hot water until plump for about 15 minutes. Drain the raisins but save the soaking water, you will need that later.
- In a large bowl stir together the oats, flour, baking powder, ground flaxseed, salt and cinnamon. Add the cooled seeds and stir until evenly distributed.
- With a spatula add the cooked and cooled red lentils, oil, honey and vanilla into the dry ingredients. Gently fold the wet into the dry until you have the texture of dough. Slowly add the raision water that you set aside. Stir the water in slowly until your dough is cohesive you may not need to add all of the water.
- Stir in your raisins and dark chocolate chips.
- This is an important step, don’t skip this! Refrigerate the dough for about 20-30 minutes or even overnight if needed.
- Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F and line two sheet pans with parchment paper.
- After the dough has chilled, scoop out your cookies with a spoon and place them on the parchment paper about 1 inch apart. Bake until golden brown for about 20-25 minutes.
- Cool on a wire rack and store cookies for up to two weeks in a sealed container or six months in the freezer.
Notes
This is a great treat and gift for all mothers. Delicious recipe and very thoughtful to share.