When I was a new mama to my sweet Tiny, I was fortunate to have an ample supply of nourishing breastmilk. Sure, there are things I know now about breastmilk composition that would have certainly impacted some of my dietary choices but at the time I was just grateful to be making milk!
Not all of my mama friends were as lucky. Many struggled with supply. While there are loads of natural ways to boost milk supply, “lactation cookies” have always been a trusted and popular (not to mention yummy) way for a mama to stimulate milk production.
When one my dear friends struggled with her supply, I immediately whipped up a batch of lactation cookies for her. Shocked at how well they worked, I started to research various grain-free options as I myself was grain free and figured there were other mothers out there in the same boat.
I created a great recipe for gluten and grain free lactation cookies but was inspired to take it a step forward recently, as I have been dealing with many food allergies and intolerances. I wondered if there was a more “food allergy free” lactation cookie recipe out there that didn’t compromise on the lactation boosting effects.
There wasn’t. And so, I decided to head to the test kitchen and see what I could come up with!
I have fallen in love with Tigernuts and after a lot of additional research, I found out that they are used across Africa, South America, and Asia to boost milk supply and enhance the quality of the breastmilk produces.
This is because Tigernuts are very nutritious and contain loads of minerals which are needed in order to produce breastmilk. These include chromium, sodium, phosphorous, magnesium, manganese, iron, copper and zinc. They have a high vitamin E and C content. Tigernuts also contain all the amino acids and some of the B-complex vitamins.
Wow! What breastfeeding mama wouldn’t want to add Tigenuts to her diet to enhance her breastmilk? Since they are a tuber and not a nut, they are safe for those with nut sensitivities. They are also gluten free, casein free, and well, allergy free! This is why I made Organic Gemini's Tigernut Flour the star of this recipe.
In addition to Tigernut flour, I included coconut oil.
The medium chain fatty acids (MCFAs) in coconut oil improve the absorption of nutrients already existing in the mother's diet. These nutrients are of course passed onto the nursing infant through the breast milk. For these reasons, it is important that a mother’s breast milk contain as much medium chain fatty acids as possible. According to research, when a lactating woman adds foods rich in lauric acid to her diet, the amount of lauric acid available in her breast milk increases substantially to levels three times the original level and nearly double the amount of capric acid. A single meal with coconut oil can significantly affect the breast milk fatty acid compositions for 1 to 3 days with the maximum increase occurring during the first 10 hours.
Another very important function of MCFAs is that they protect the baby from harmful microorganisms. The infant’s immune system is heavily supported by the antibacterial, anti-viral, anti-fungal, and anti-parasitic properties of these vital MCFAs in breast milk which are increased by daily consumption of coconut oil.
Fun Fact – Lauric acid is the most plentiful medium chain fatty acid (MCFA) found in mother's milk AND coconut oil. And the ratio of lauric acid to other MCFAs in human milk is IDENTICAL to that in coconut oil.
Fenugreek, flaxseeds, brewer’s yeast, and oats have all been used through the ages to increase milk supply. The reason that honey is used and not sugar is because honey has tremendous health properties which a mother can pass on to her breastfeeding infant. Unless you are allergic to honey, please do not substitute the honey with sugar. The rest of the ingredients are there to make this cookie tasty but I strongly advise you to follow this recipe and not try to make substitutions. The tigernut flour lactation cookies might not turn out right.
Who's ready to whip up a nourishing batch of Tigernut Flour Lactation Cookies?
Oh, you are? Well let's make this happen!
Tigernut Flour Lactation Cookies
Prep
Cook
Total
Yield 24 cookies
This gluten free, dairy free, egg free, nut free, soy free lactation cookie is the nourishing and delicious answer to low milk supply.
Ingredients
- 1 tablespoons fenugreek to make 4 T brewed fenugreek tea
- 2 tablespoons flaxseed meal
- 1 cup coconut oil, melted
- 3/4 cup raw honey
- 2 eggs or gelatin egg replacer (see notes below)
- 3 teaspoons vanilla
- 3/4 cup sunflower seed butter (you can use nut butter)
- 1 1/2 – 2 cups Organic Gemini Tigernut Flour (you can purchase it directly from their website or on Amazon)
- 4 tablespoons non-gmo brewer’s yeast
- 2 teaspoons aluminum free baking powder
- 1 teaspoon sea salt
- 3 1/2 cups gluten free oats
- 1/2 - 3/4 cup raisins or dried cranberries (optional)
- 1/2 – 3/4 cup chocolate or carob chips (optional)
Instructions
- Preheat oven to 325 degrees
- Brew fenugreek in 8 ounces of hot water until grains are soft.
- Mix flaxseed and 4 tablespoons fenugreek tea and let sit for 3-5 minutes. DO NOT DISCARD THE GRAINS!
- Beat coconut oil and honey.
- Add eggs and vanilla and mix well.
- Fold in the sunflower seed butter until well combined.
- Add flaxseed mix and fenugreek grains and mix well.
- Add 1 ½ cups of tigernut flour, nutritional yeast, baking powder, and salt. Mix and see ingredient notes below regarding consistancy.*
- Mix in oats until well combined.
- If using raisins or cranberries and/or chocolate chips, slowly fold these in.
- Round off a large tablespoon of dough and place on cookie sheet. Press it down slightly.
- Bake for 15 minutes then check for doneness. Continue baking(checking every 3 minutes) until the outside is a bit brown with crispy edges. The inside should still be slightly moist and soft.
- Let cool on cookie sheet for a few minutes and transfer to a cooling rack.
Notes
1. Tigernut flour has the tendency to soak up the oil in the natural nut/seed butters. Every brand of nut/seed butter varies. If your batter seems dry after adding 1 ½ cups of tigernut flour, add in a tablespoon at a time of the additional flour until the consistency is more doughy and moist. Do not overdo it! Slow and steady is the key.
2. This batter is really sticky! Do not try to form dough balls with your hands. It will be a mess. A yummy mess at least! I like to grease my spoon with a little coconut oil. It helps the dough slide right off!
3. This recipe is not incredibly sweet although if you use the dried fruit or chocolate chips it does sweeten up! If you prefer a really sweet cookie, add some additional honey and/or vanilla. For every 1/4 cup of honey you add, you will need to increase the flour by 4 tablespoons and the oats by 2 tablespoons.
If you would like to replace the eggs with my gelatin egg replacer, you will need:
- 2 tablespoons Gelatin (this brand is my favorite but this works well too)
- 2 tablespoon room-temp or cool water
- 4 tablespoons boiling or very hot water
To make your eggs you will need to:
- Place your 2 tablespoons of room-temp water in a small bowl
- Sprinkle the 2 tablespoons of gelatin over the water – allow it to sit for a moment to absorb the moisture
- Add the hot water and whisk until the gelatin is completely dissolved and frothy
- Use in the recipe immediately, since it will solidify as it sits
The ingredients linked above may be affiliate links.
Organic Gemini provided me with the Tigernut Flour to create this recipe. However, I reached out to them as I had been using and LOVING this flour alternative. Stay tuned for gobs more recipes starring Tigernut Flour.
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