Before I had the twins, my goal was to feed them by breastfeeding. After they were delivered prematurely though and spent about 2 weeks in the NICU being fed by bottles and feeding tubes, we didn't start off great with breastfeeding directly so I switched to pumping for them with a goal of being able to provide as much of the milk they needed as possible myself. That's a tall order with two babies so as I was building my supply I tried to incorporate snacks into my diet that could help my production. This recipe for banana oat protein cookies was the easiest recipe I found by far, and it was easy to modify to add in an extra ingredient known for boosting milk supply. Rest assured - if you are not pumping or breastfeeding you can easily remove that ingredient and these are very normal cookies to bake and enjoy! They only need a few ingredients and are a great way to use up two ripe bananas on your counter.
The main ingredients needed are two medium to large ripe bananas, oats, protein powder, and chocolate chips. Any type of chocolate chips will do (I have had a discount for HU chocolate - code "WHIMS" may still work for a discount!) Any type of protein powder will work as well - I like a snickerdoodle flavor from PEScience or I used the Clean Simple Eats brand as well). Oats are known for helping with milk supply production, so leaving the ingredients as is will still make these a useful lactation snack but I do add in a tablespoon of Brewer's Yeast which has been known to help boost milk production as well.
This recipe is pretty hard to mess up - the batter is very forgiving! If you leave out the Brewer's Yeast you may not need to add a tablespoon of almond milk if you have no issues combining the ingredients together. If your bananas are smaller and the batter seems dry when mixing though you can add a tablespoon or two of unsweetened almond milk to help combine.
The batter will be very wet when it's scooped onto the baking sheet which is why I recommend using a silicone liner for baking. I wouldn't worry about forming a perfect cookie shape either - the batter just blobs on the tray but will come together after it's baked!
Any leftovers should be stored in the fridge, but it's pretty easy to work through this small batch pretty quickly since it just makes a dozen cookies! Adding the Brewer's Yeast does not effect the flavor at all either, so these are safe to be shared with any of your non-lactating friends as well (my husband eats a handful of these every time I make them!!)
I'm happy to report that I've boosted my milk supply to the point where I am pumping between 57-60 ounces a day for my boys! Occasionally when they are having a ravenous day I need to add in one bottle of formula for them, but I am pretty proud that I am able to supply most of what they need. Pumping is a LOT of work - I'm hooked up to my pump every three hours pretty much around the clock, but these boys sure make it worth while (and the extra snacks are not a bad perk either, hah!)
Nutritional Information
This recipe makes 12 cookies for 88 calories each with 14 grams of carbs, 2 grams of fat, and 4 grams of protein.
Banana Oat Protein Lactation Cookies
A twist on 3 ingredient cookies with optional lactation helpful ingredient.
- 2 Bananas
- 1 Scoop of Protein Powder
- 1 Cup of Old Fashion Oats
- 1 Tbs Brewer's Yeast (Optional)
- 1-2 Tbs Unsweetened Almond Milk
- 1/3 Cup Chocolate Chips
Instructions
Preheat oven to 375 degrees FahrenheitMash bananas with a fork in a medium sized mixing bowlAdd in oats, protein powder, and optional brewer's yeast and mix to combine. Batter may be a bit dry, add 1-2 Tbs of almond milk to help combineFold in the chocolate chipsAdd a silicone liner to a baking sheet, spray with cooking spray, then dish batter onto the silicone liner with a tablespoon in 12 equal servings (batter will be wet)Bake at 375 for approximately 13 minutes or until the cookies are slightly brown around the edgesLet cool on the pan for about 10 minutes and store any extras in the fridge
Details
Prep time: Total time: 23 Minutes Yield: 12 Servings
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