In case you missed it, I just shared a big roundup of over 40 nourishing postpartum meals, and wanted to give you an extra little treat. Because you deserve it, mama!
These easy lactation monster cookies are a fun, peanut butter & chocolate-filled twist on my original lactation cookies, but with all of the same milk-boosting nutrients you’ll love AND nearly 7g protein per cookie (making them great for kids, too!). As with so many monster cookie recipes, you can have fun experimenting with your favorite cookie mix-ins and flavors. And guess what? They delicious (and nutritious) even if you aren’t breastfeeding! WIN.
Bake up a few batches (or send the recipe to a friend) for a cozy, nostalgic treat to enjoy while breastfeeding — whether it’s after dinner or, even more likely, in the nursery at 3AM. You can also get more of my favorite breastfeeding snacks here!
Perfect monster cookies for nursing mamas
There are a few special ingredients that make these lactation monster cookies, as in, they’re great for helping to boost milk supply!
- Whole oats: rolled oats make up the base of these monster cookies, and the iron in oats is known to have a positive effect on breast milk supply.
- Flaxseed meal: you’ll get a boost of phytoestrogens from flaxseed meal, which can also boost breast milk production.
- Hemp hearts: these are optional, but hemp hearts also add protein, omega-3s, iron, magnesium, and zinc.
- Brewer’s yeast: new moms need lots of vitamins and nutrients, and brewer’s yeast is high in complex B vitamins, protein, and selenium. I like to use gluten-free debittered brewer’s yeast (which I linked).
More ingredients in these lactation monster cookies
Along with all of the nursing boosters I mentioned above, you’ll also need:
- Peanut butter: natural, creamy peanut butter (only peanuts and salt) is another base in monster cookie recipes, and gives this lactation version protein.
- Sugar: we’re sweetening the cookies with some light brown sugar to keep the flavor traditional!
- Eggs: you’ll need 2 eggs to help the cookies bake up properly. I haven’t tested these with flax eggs, but let me know if you do.
- Baking staples: don’t forget the vanilla extract, baking soda, and salt.
- Mix-ins and toppings: make these true monster cookies by adding chocolate chips and chocolate candies! I like Unreal naturally-dyed chocolate candies. I also like to top the cookies with a little flaky sea salt.
Simple ingredient swaps
There are a few easy ways you can experiment to customize these monster lactation cookies. Here’s what I can recommend:
- To make dairy-free: use melted vegan butter, skip the Unreal candies or M&Ms, and use extra dairy-free chocolate chips.
- Choose your nut butter: Almond butter or cashew butter would also be great in this recipe. I don’t recommend using sunflower seed butter, as it tends to turn baked goods green when it interacts with the baking soda.
- Reduce the sugar: I think you could get away with using ½ cup of brown sugar instead of ⅔ cup.
Can I make them vegan?
I haven’t tested these cookies with flax eggs in place of the regular eggs. The cookies might become very fragile with flax eggs, but let me know in the comments if you test it out.
Substitutions for brewer’s yeast
I highly recommend keeping the brewer’s yeast in these cookies for maximum milk-boosting benefits! If you don’t have any, I think any of these substitutes may work in place of the brewer’s yeast. Please note that I have not tested them:
- 1/4 cup oat flour
- 1/2 cup fine blanched almond flour
- 1 scoop of protein powder (I like Vital Protein collagen peptides and Aloha protein powder)
Looking for an extra boost of protein?
I think you could easily add 1 scoop (20 grams) of protein powder or collagen peptides to the batter with the oats, but I haven’t tested it. Let me know if you do!
Have fun with different mix-ins
These cookies are the perfect base for your favorite mix-ins. Just make sure you stick with the ratios of mix-ins so you don’t overload the cookies. Feel free to swap or substitute some of the chocolate candies or chocolate chips with:
Store & freeze them for postpartum
These easy lactation monster cookies are the perfect treat to prep and freeze for later so that you always have them on hand.
- To store: feel free to keep these cookies in an airtight container at room temperature for up to 5 days.
- To freeze: make sure the cookies are completely cooled, and then transfer them to an airtight container lined with wax or parchment paper or freezer-safe bag before storing them in the freezer for up to 2 months. I like to place them in a single layer to avoid any cookies breaking. Once ready to eat, simply thaw out at room temperature and enjoy! Alternatively, learn how to freeze the dough with these tips & tricks!
My fav cookie-baking tools
Check out all of our fav kitchen essentials here.
More breastfeeding snacks & treats you’ll love
- Peanut Butter Protein Cookie Dough Bites
- Salted Dark Chocolate Pistachio Quinoa Crunch Bars
- Healthy Oatmeal Chocolate Chip Cookies (vegan & gluten free!)
- No Bake Superfood Brownies
- No Bake High Protein Peanut Butter Cereal Bars
Get all of my breastfeeding snacks here, and postpartum meal ideas here!
I hope you love these lactation monster cookies! If you make them, be sure to leave a comment and a rating so I know how you liked them. Enjoy, xo!
Lactation Monster Cookies
Ingredients
- Wet ingredients
- ¾ cup (192g) creamy natural peanut butter (only peanuts + salt)
- ⅔ cup (142g) packed light brown sugar
- 4 tablespoons salted butter, melted
- 2 large eggs, at room temperature
- 1 teaspoon vanilla extract
- Dry ingredients
- 1 cup (95g) old fashioned rolled oats (I use organic Bob’s Red Mill)
- ¼ cup (33g) debittered brewers yeast
- 3 tablespoons (23g) flaxseed meal
- Optional: 2 tablespoons hemp hearts
- ½ teaspoon baking soda
- ¼ teaspoon kosher salt
- Mix-ins and topping
- 1/2 cup (90 grams) semi-sweet chocolate chips
- ¼ cup Unreal chocolate coated candies (or M&Ms), plus 3 tablespoons for topping (I do about 3 to 4 per cookie!)
- Flaky sea salt, for sprinkling
Instructions
- Preheat the oven: Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F. Line a large baking sheet with parchment paper.
- Mix together the wet ingredients: In a large bowl, whisk together the peanut butter, brown sugar, butter, eggs, and vanilla until smooth and creamy, 1 minute.
- Add the dry ingredients to the wet ingredients: In the same bowl as the wet ingredients, add in the oats, brewers yeast, flaxseed meal, hemp hearts (if using), baking soda and salt. Mix with a wooden spoon until well combined.
- Add the mix-ins: Stir in ½ cup chocolate chips and ¼ cup of the chocolate candies until well incorporated into the dough.
- Use a medium cookie scoop to grab about 2 heaping tablespoons of the dough and roll into balls. Place on the baking sheet, at least 2 inches apart. Top each dough ball with about 4 chocolate candies (or more if you want more!).
- Bake: Bake the cookies until set and just slightly golden on the edges, 10 to 12 minutes. Do not overbake. Finish cookies with a sprinkle of flaky sea salt. Allow cookies to cool on the baking sheet for 10 minutes before transferring to a wire rack. Repeat with remaining dough.
Recipe Notes
Nutrition
Recipe by: Monique Volz // Ambitious Kitchen | Photography by: Eat Love Eats
These are delicious! I prepped a batch today to freeze for when baby arrives. I think I’ll have to make a few more batches of these. 10/10.
Perfect! Such a great postpartum snack!
I made these as part of my postpartum meal prep and have been loving them!! I prepared the dough, shaped into balls, and froze. I take out a few at a time to bake so they are always fresh and I get to enjoy warm cookies more often. So good!
So happy to hear that! Such a great postpartum snack (I’ve been eating them, too!)
These are incredible! I made a batch while anxiously awaiting baby’s arrival. They were so easy and are delicious! I did add 1/4 cup Vital Proteins collagen peptides and they turned out perfectly. These will be a staple for me!
So happy to hear that! Perfect postpartum snack 🙂
These are soooo yummy! Couldn’t find brewer’s yeast so I added in extra ground flax and they turned out so delicious! I love that it only took one bowl too, they were so easy to mix together while my baby watched from his high chair (:
Perfect! So glad you enjoyed!
These are delightful. I didn’t have the candies so just used chocolate chips. I hope they help my supply!
Perfect! I hope they do, too – such a fun snack!
Taste great! But mine are spreading a lot.. any tips?
Hi! Did you weigh your ingredient? Did the dough seem overly wet?
I made these this week for my newly postpartum sister, and of course I had to sample! These are amazing! I love that the peanut butter really hides the brewer’s yeast taste! My natural peanut butter was pretty runny and I did add 3 TBSPs of collagen powder – they turned out perfect. For the mix-ins, I used 1/4 cup cacao nibs, 1/4 cup butterscotch chips, 1/4 semisweet choc chips and topped with dark choc chips. Saving this recipe for my next pp journey. Thanks for a wonderful lactation cookie recipe!!
Another stellar recipe! I didn’t have Brewer’s Yeast so left it out. Meant to replace with oat flour but completely forgot to add that in, and the cookies turned out great! I got 23 smaller cookies instead of the 16 extra large. They won’t last long!
I’m glad they still turned out well! Such a great snack!