This past weekend, I made peanut butter chocolate chip lactation cookie bars for a friend that recently had a new baby. There are tons of galactagogues in this recipe, and lots of delicious peanut butter and chocolate so that you don’t taste them!
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The galactagogues in this recipe are oatmeal, flax seed, and brewer’s yeast; these may boost supply in some people.
The batter consists of peanut butter, butter, and brown sugar mixed with the galactagogues and normal dry ingredients. Then you fold in the chocolate chips, put it in a pan, and you’re good to go! Super easy.
I made two batches, so that my family could have some cookies, too. My husband and kids loved this recipe! (And so did I.) I couldn’t taste the brewer’s yeast or flax seed at all, and I only could tell that there were oats in them because I knew that they were there.
Some common questions:
Can you substitute quick cooking oats or steel cut oats?
Quick cooking oats will work fine.
Steel cut oats have a different texture and nutritional profile, so I haven’t tested it. But if you try it, let me know how it goes!
I don’t have brewer’s yeast. Can I substitute something?
The easiest way to get brewer’s yeast is from amazon.
However, if you want to make it without brewer’s yeast, you may still get a benefit from the oats and flax seed. You can substitute 1/4 cup of flour for the 1/4 cup of brewer’s yeast.
Will these lactation bars actually increase my milk supply?
Supply isn’t straightforward, and what works for one parent might not work for another. Some people see great results with power pumping; others say that hydration is key for them. You kind of have to see what works for you using trial and error.
Since nothing is certain to work, why not make something that might help, is delicious and relatively inexpensive, and that your whole family can eat?
Here are some stories showing me making these:
Enjoy!
Peanut Butter and Chocolate Lactation Cookie Bars
Ingredients
- 2 1/4 cups flour
- 1 1/2 cups old fashioned oats
- 3/4 tsp baking powder
- 1/4 tsp baking soda
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/4 cup brewer's yeast
- 1/4 cup flaxseed
- 3/4 cup butter softened
- 2 cups brown sugar
- 3/4 cup peanut butter room temperature
- 2 eggs
- 1 tbsp vanilla extract
- 1 1/2 cups chocolate chips
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
- Spray a 13 x 9 baking pan with non-stick cooking spray.
- Whisk flour, oats, baking powder, baking soda, salt, brewers yeast, and flaxseed together in a large bowl.
- Mix butter, brown sugar, and peanut butter until smooth. Add eggs and vanilla extract.
- Fold in flour mixture. Once well combined, stir in 1 cup of the chocolate chips.
- Put the dough into the pan and press it lightly into place with your hands. Sprinkle the remaining chocolate chips on top.
- Bake for 17-22 minutes (or until the edges are slightly browned and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean). Be careful not to over bake.
- Cool and enjoy!
Comments & Chitchat
I don’t know yet if it will make a difference in my milk production because I literally made them last night (I really hope they help) but these taste so so delicious!
Can i add less sugar then this i find if i add more then 1 cup its too sweet for me ? Would reducing to 1 cup or half a cup change the consistency?
Hi Loretta! I haven’t tried it so I’m not sure! If you try it please let me know how it goes!
Can you sub the white flour for whole wheat flour?
Yes!
Hello, what kind of peanut butter do you recommend using for this recipe?
Hi Frances! Any kind of fine – we have Skippy so that’s what we used!
These bars are so good that my husband asks me to make them. I’m actually done nursing. Could I take out the brewer’s yeast? If so, what would I replace it with? Thanks
Hi Nancy! Yes you can – just replace with flour. Enjoy and thank you!!!
This recipe is the bomb. It was a once-a-week-er for me when my son was born and it comes out great every time! I’ve experimented with reducing the sugar a little bit and using chopped dates instead of the chocolate chips and that’s also super tasty. Versatile, delicious and the perfect amount of forgiving for a new and sleep deprived mom 😂 Thank you for sharing!
Thank you Anne!
My 7 week old baby has been diagnosed with a milk protein allergy, so I am going dairy free. You have no idea how many things have a type of dairy in them! I just made this recipe completely dairy free. I added a couple tablespoons of almond milk just the a few other people mentioned, used dairy free “I can’t believe its not butter” and I used dairy free mini chocolate chips. These turned out delicious! I let mine get a little extra brown on the edges because I love a crispy cookie. They are crispy in the outside and ooey-gooey on the inside. Next batch I make I think I will split it in have and do two batches on the cake pan, so they are a bit thinner.
Thank you for sharing this recipe 🙏 🤤🤤 so yummy! And here’s to hoping it helps our milk supply as well!
Thank you so much Elizabeth!!!
Love this recipe!
Just made the bars again and added 2 ripened bananas. Needed to cook longer, but taste so good!
Just wanna point out that the recipe calls for 1 tablespoon of vanilla and the photo says 1 tsp. Which one is correct?
The recipe! Sorry – I will correct the picture.
How many should you eat lol
Can I make these in muffin tins?
Hi Marie! I’ve never tried it – please let me know how it goes!
They are so delicious!!
Should I eat a certain amount to increase supply? Is it possible to eat too many?
Thank you! 🙂
Hi Lauren! One or two per day should be good! You can only eat too many like you would with normal food where you feel gross. 🙂
Made these to help keep my supply going and they are delicious. I added 3 tbsp of almond milk at the end to moisten them up some.
Oh my goodness these are delicious. Added 3 tbl spoons of almond milk at the end before cooking. Also, added an additional tsp of vanilla. Next will try honey instead of so much sugar. Thanks for sharing!
Thank you Sage!
Are you supposed to put in the fridge after cooking?
No, cookies and bars like this are good on the counter for a few days after baking. If you won’t eat them all within a few days you can freeze some.
Do you use whole flaxseeds or ground flax seeds
ground! 🙂
I do have a question though… Do they have to be refrigerated? Last time I made them I cut half the pan up into large single serving size square bars and put them in the freezer. My kids said they were great.
No they should be fine at room temp!
I have made these twice for both daughters who are breast. They love them and so do their husbands!! 👌🏼
Just took these out of the oven! I did add another 1/3 tbsp vanilla, two eggs and some almond milk because the dough seemed really dry and other comments said theirs came out dry. Expecting baby any day so I’m going to cut the bars and freeze them. Hopefully I can remember to update you on how it all went!
These are absolutely yummy! I made them as the recipe called for with an extra 1/2 tsp. Of vanilla. I haven’t seen any improvement in my output, but I just tried them this afternoon, and have only pumped once since. Stay tuned for production results.
Yay! Hope they help!!!
Is the 386 calorie count per bar?
Yes!
These are amazing! I made them as a late night nursing treat, and now that my milk is established they’re more of a regular treat 😛 I leave out the flaxseed because the texture isn’t right for me, and usually make a half batch just for myself.
So glad to hear that Kayla!!! 🙂
I LOVE these. Have made them twice. My husband likes them too. I haven’t gotten any brewer’s yeast yet, but did have ground fenugreek (amazingly) so added a tablespoon of that. Delish!
Soooo glad you liked them!!
They taste great! We’ll see if my supply increases 🙂
So glad to hear it!!
I love these bars – but they are always so dry! Like there just isn’t enough wet ingredients. What am I doing wrong?
Hi Elizabeth! I’m so sorry! I’m not sure … but maybe you could try soaking the flaxseed first? Some other recipes do that, just not this one. You could put it in 1/4 cup water for 10 minutes first, then add it? Just an idea, I haven’t tried it. Hope that helps!
My bars fall apart when I take them out of the pan. Any idea where I went wrong? 🤷♀️
Oh no! I’m sorry that happened! I didn’t have that experience but I hope they will still good if you ate them with a fork! 😂
Can these be frozen after?
Great question! I have not tried it with these bars. However, I think it would work. I would cut them, put them on a backing sheet, and freeze them, then put into a tupperware container separated by paper in the freezer. Hope this helps!
Can I make this THM friendly with a different flour option? I could also change out the regular chocolate chips to sugar free.
I made these this morning and they are great!
Did it help with your milk supply?