Never heard of lactation cookies? That’s okay. We didn’t either until we became mamas. Lactation cookies are traditionally a cookie made of three key ingredients anecdotally shown to increase milk supply. These include oats (high in beta-glucan), brewer’s yeast (high in B-vitamins) and flaxseed (omega-3).
We wanted to expand upon the repertoire of breastfeeding snacks with foods that weren’t so “dessert-y”. We wanted yummy snacks we could munch throughout the day when nursing mama hunger striked. We wanted snacks that gave a little boost to our breasts and our energy – without crashing our blood sugar.
These buckwheat honey grahams are one of my favorite results and taste divine dunked in some creamy almond butter mixed with cinnamon. They’re a little time consuming to make, since you need to roll and cut, but the dough can be made in advance and once baked, these cookies can last for up to 6 months in an airtight container.
What makes our grahams so special? First, they start with buckwheat flour, rich in manganese and magnesium and completely gluten-free. Then we mix in freshly ground flaxseed and brewer’s yeast for that extra milk-making boost. We sweeten them up with a little coconut sugar and raw honey and deepen the flavor with some sea salt and cinnamon. After they’re baked, we kick up our feet, grab a warm cup of tea, and dunk those grown-up treats into some almond butter mixed with cinnamon.
Go ahead mama, indulge!
Yield: 96 2”- Square Cookies
Ingredients
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1 ½ c. 2 T buckwheat flour
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3 c. 2 T BO gluten-free flour mix
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½ c. ground flaxseed meal ½ c. water
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½ c. brewers yeast powder
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1 c. coconut sugar
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1 tsp sea salt
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½ tsp. ground cinnamon
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2 tsp. baking soda
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¾ c. coconut oil, melted
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½ c. raw clover honey
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1 T vanilla extract
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¼ c. – ¾ c. water
- almond butter
- cinnamon
Directions
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Preheat oven to 350° (325° if using a convection oven). Line cookie sheets w/parchment paper
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Mix flaxseed meal and ½ c. water and set aside
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Combine all dry ingredients in large mixing bowl
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Combine all wet ingredients including flax mix in large mixing bowl
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Mix dry into wet, adding water (¼ t. at a time) if necessary to come together
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Chill dough before rolling out only if needed (sometimes in the summer, this becomes necessary)
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Using a 2” square cookie cutter or any shape of your choosing, cut out the squares
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Bake for 12-15 minutes until lightly browned on top. Let cool completely on tray
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Meanwhile, mix desired amount of almond butter with a dash of cinnamon
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Serve cooled grahams with a side of almond butter
Contributed by:
Ashly Yashchin, Founder of Barley + Oats
Barley and Oats develops nutritionally optimized recipes to support fertility, pregnancy, and breastfeeding female health. The company was founded by Ashly Yashchin, a mother of one (and soon to be two!), who was inspired to start this service after coming across overwhelming research about the effect of food on female health. Barley and Oats is now in the process of partnering with top nutritionists, registered dietitians, hormone experts and chefs to develop a DIY protocol for women to get the nutrition they need, taste they crave, and convenience they deserve.
