Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Lactation Cookies

Here are some tips before you get started:

• Whole oats should always be used – not ‘quick’ oats (the type that cook in a few minutes in the microwave). Be sure when you buy your oats (‘oatmeal’) that you are purchasing whole, natural rolled oats. If you can get the extra thick oats, that’s even better.

• Brewer’s Yeast is different than regular yeast for making bread Do NOT substitute regular yeast instead. Brewer’s Yeast can be found at natural food markets, health food stores or large grocery stores.

• Use cold-milled flax seed for this recipe or grind your own flax seed in a coffee grinder.
• This recipe makes lots of cookies (50 the last time I made it with my cookie scoop)! Instead of baking all the cookies at once, freeze some of the dough.  See a note following the recipe with directions on how to freeze the cookie dough.

Ingredients:

• 2 Tablespoons cold-milled flax seed
• 4 Tablespoons water
• 1 cup butter softened to room temperature
• 2 cups firmly packed brown sugar, less if desired
• 2 eggs allow to warm to room temperature
• 1 teaspoon vanilla
• 2 cups flour all-purpose or white whole wheat (you can add ¼-½ cup flour to create a softer cookie)
• 4 Tablespoons brewer’s yeast
• 1 teaspoon baking soda
• 1 teaspoon salt
• 3 cups rolled oats
• 1½ cup chocolate chips

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees
2. In a small bowl, combine the flax seed meal and water. Let stand for 5 minutes.
3. In a large bowl or stand-up mixer, beat butter and brown sugar well.
4. Add eggs and beat well.
5. Add flax seed mixture and vanilla, beat well.
6. In a separate bowl, sift together flour, brewer’s yeast, baking soda & salt.
7. Add dry ingredients to butter mixture, mix well.  This mixture is loose and very sticky.
8. Stir in oats and chocolate chips.  Mixture is very thick but still sticky.
9. Scoop with cookie scoop onto baking tray. (can use tablespoonful if preferred)
10. Bake 12-13 minutes until the edges of the cookies are just barely turning golden brown.
11. Cool on baking tray for a couple minutes before transferring to a cooling rack.  If you leave them for too long they can stick to the pan.

Yield:  Approximately 4 dozen when using a cookie scoop.  More for smaller cookies.

For freezing:  Scoop onto wax paper on a baking sheet so they are barely separated.  Then place the baking sheet in the freezer until the cookies are hard to touch, approximately 1-2 hours.  Remove from wax paper and put into a freezer style Ziplock bag. In order to cook, remove the desired number of cookies from freezer bag and place on a cookie sheet.  Bake for 12-15 minutes at 350º until the outer edges are barely turning golden brown. Note: it may work better to allow the cookies to thaw on the baking sheet for 10-15 minutes before baking.  After removing from oven let the cookies cool slightly and transfer them to a cooling rack. Enjoy!

Other notes:

• Substitute approx 1/2 cup almond meal for 1/2 of the flour to fortify with protein
• Add nuts, raisins (or other dried fruits)
• Try other spices you like such as cinnamon, nutmeg etc.
• Try other flavors of chips instead of chocolate chips such as peanut butter butter scotch