These Salted Toffee Lactation Cookies are naturally gluten-free, vegan-friendly, and packed with ingredients said to help increase breastmilk production (but they’re so good, even non-breastfeeding folks will love them!)
Well, folks, I am officially in the thick of this newborn breastfeeding life. If you recall from my first postpartum experience, breastfeeding was a massive struggle for me. I didn’t have enough milk (supply issues), and our latch was so bad E just would never be able to stay on the boob for more than a hot minute without screaming his head off. This time around, I had enough milk to get me going (not a crazy amount but enough to feed O plus a bit to freeze), but our latch wasn’t the greatest. I do notice that when my boobs are extra full with milk that he drinks better (and therefore sleeps better), so I’m anxious to make sure my supply doesn’t dwindle. That’s where these amazing lactation cookies come in. Packed with a sweet flavour and lots of nutritious add-ins for mama’s milk, these salted toffee cookies make amazing breastfeeding fuel AND a sweet treat for the whole family.
Table of contents
Why This Recipe Works
Need some convincing reasons to enjoy these toffee cookies on repeat?
- They’re so tasty
- Not just for new moms. Everyone will love these!
- Packed with healthy goodness
- Vegan-friendly
- Gluten-free
- Freezer-friendly
Key Ingredients
Toffee Bits — If you are strictly vegan, follow my recipe below for homemade toffee bits. Otherwise, you can purchase toffee bits at your local bulk store or in the baking aisle.
Ground flax — This is to prepare the flax eggs to keep these cookies vegan. I like to mix it with almond milk just for extra flavour, but you can always use water. The flax also adds healthy omega 3s, fibre, and protein, and is said to help promote breastmilk production.
Gluten-free quick oats — No not use steel cut oats in their place.
Gluten-free all-purpose flour —If you’re not gluten-free, you can feel free to use regular all-purpose flour here.
Brewers yeast — Brewers yeast doesn’t really have much of a flavour (maybe just kinda toasty), but it is said to be one of the best ingredients for promoting milk production.
Vegan butter — If you don’t need to keep these vegan, feel free to use regular butter instead.
Dark brown sugar — I like a good molasses-rich dark brown sugar, but you can also use light brown sugar in its place.
Cashew butter — If you don’t have cashew butter, peanut or almond will work. I just prefer cashew in this recipe because it is relatively neutral in flavour so it allows the toffee to shine.
Fleur de sel — Adding a little salt on top takes a good cookie and makes it a GREAT one.
How to Make This Recipe
Step 1: To make the toffee for these toffee cookies, line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat and set it aside. Have a small heavy saucepan heated to medium-high and add the butter, sugar, soy milk, and salt. Stir until the sugar and butter melts.
Step 2: Cook until it reaches the hard crack stage (300 F or 150 C) – watch your thermometer like a hawk because it can easily get too hot. Turn off the heat, and carefully (using gloves) pour the toffee onto the parchment or silpat and spread it out quickly. Place in the fridge or freezer until set (about 10 minutes in the freezer).
Step 3: Remove the baking sheet from the freezer and smash the toffee into tiny pieces. Set aside.
Step 4: Prepare the flax eggs by combining 2 tbsp of flaxseed with 5 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes until it looks thick and gloopy. In a mixer, beat the vegan butter until softened. Add in the sugar and beat until it looks smooth and fluffy. Preheat the oven the 350 degrees F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat. Add in the cashew butter, flax eggs, and vanilla and beat until mixed.
Step 5: In a large bowl, mix together the oats, gluten-free flour, brewer’s yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt. Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and then fold in the toffee pieces if using.
Step 6: Roll the toffee cookie batter into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on the baking sheet with about 2 inches between them. Gently press the cookies down just a touch. Sprinkle generously with fleur de sel. Bake for 15-17 minutes or until the bottoms are light golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before picking up.
Expert Tips
Purchase toffee bits instead of making your own to save time making these toffee cookies.
Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 6 months. You can leave them at room temperature.
Want to make this more fun? Add some chocolate chips to the toffee cookies!
To smash the toffee bits, you can use a meat mallet or rolling pin.
The toffee recipe that worked the best used Earth Balance and was heated to a hard crack (300 F) vs a soft crack. The toffee recipe down below makes around double of what you need. Cutting the recipe any smaller would require a very tiny pot. You can always store the extra toffee in an airtight container in the fridge for another recipe.
Recipe FAQs
There are a lot of wives tales about certain foods helping with breastmilk production. I actually wrote a whole blog post about them, which you can check out right here. The truth is, there isn’t a ton of evidence for these “galactagogues” as they’re called, but regardless, these ingredients do tend to be nutrient dense and delicious, and therefore help YOU get the fuel you need to make milk. Here are the ingredients in this recipe that supposedly do the trick:
– Oats
– Flax
– Brewers Yeast
Absolutely not. While I have not tested these without the flax eggs (since the added flax was a bonus for the breastmilk and for extra nutrition), you can try using regular eggs and regular dairy butter.
Nope. You can use non-gluten-free oats and flour if you’re not sensitive to gluten.
If the cashew butter is a no-no, you can try using a soy-based butter or sunflower seed butter. Either one will work!
There are a lot of food, supplement, herb, and non-food suggestions on how to increase your milk supply. We wrote a whole evidence-based blog post on breastmilk supply that you can check out right here.
Of course! I can ASSURE YOU that these cookies will not just make a man make breastmilk LOL Nor will it encourage a woman to start leaking if she is not already nursing and producing those hormones. These lactation cookies are 100% safe for anyone who loves oatmeal cookies and salted toffee (aka EVERYONE).
These cookies can be stored at room temperature in an air-tight container for about 3-4 days. To freeze them, put them on a baking sheet lined with a silpat and freeze for 30 minutes before transferring to a freezer bag for up to 4 months.
More Recipes You Might Like
We love lactation cookies around here and a lot of them are vegan! Here are some of our favourites if you love these toffee cookies:
- Vegan Carrot Cake Lactation Cookies
- Salted Chocolate Almond Vegan Lactation Cookies
- Lemon Poppyseed Vegan Lactation Cookies
- Vegan Salted Tahini Cookies
What are you trying to eat more of if you’re breastfeeding to increase your breastmilk supply? Leave me a comment below with your thoughts!
Salted Toffee Cookies (Vegan Lactation Recipe)
Ingredients
For the Toffee (Optional):
- ¼ cup vegan butter I use Earth Balance
- ¼ cup & 2 tbsp white sugar
- 2 tbsp unsweetened soy milk
- 2½ tsp maple syrup
- Sprinkle of Salt
For the Toffee Cookies:
- 3 flax eggs 3 tbsp ground flaxseed with 7 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk
- 3 cups gluten free quick oats
- 1½ cups gluten free all purpose flour
- 5 tbsp brewers yeast
- 3 tbsp ground flaxseed
- ½ tsp baking powder
- ½ tsp baking soda
- ½ tsp cinnamon
- ¼ tsp salt
- 1 cup vegan butter
- 1½ cups dark brown sugar
- ¼ cup cashew butter
- 2 tsp vanilla extract
- ¼ cup vegan toffee bits
- Fleur de sel for garnish
Instructions
To Make the Optional Toffee:
- Line a baking sheet with parchment or a silpat and set aside.
- Have a heavy saucepot heated to medium high and add the butter, sugar, maple, soy milk and salt. Stir until the sugar and butter melts. Cook until it reaches the soft crack stage (285 F) – watch your thermometer like a hawk because it can easily get too hot.
- Turn off the heat, and carefully (using gloves) pour the toffee onto the parchment or silpat and spread it out quickly. Place in the fridge or freezer until set then smash into tiny pieces. Set aside.
To Make the Toffee Cookies:
- Preheat the oven the 350 degrees F and line three baking sheets with parchment paper or a silpat.
- Prepare the flax eggs by combining 3 tbsp of flaxseed with 7 tbsp unsweetened vanilla almond milk. Refrigerate for 10-15 minutes until it looks thick and gloopy.
- In a large bowl, mix together the oats, gluten free flour, brewer’s yeast, flaxseed, baking powder, soda, cinnamon, and salt.
- In another bowl (or your stand mixer), beat the vegan butter until softened. Add in the sugar and beat until it looks smooth and fluffy. Add in the cashew butter, flax eggs, and vanilla and beat until mixed.
- Stir the wet ingredients into the dry and then fold in the toffee pieces if using.
- Roll into balls about 1 1/2 inches in diameter and place on the baking sheet with about 2 inches between them (12 per baking sheet). It should yield about 36 cookies.
- Gently press the cookies down just a touch.
- Sprinkle generously with fleur de sel and bake for 15-17 minutes until the bottoms and sides turn golden brown. Allow to cool for at least 5 minutes before picking up. Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 6 months.
Notes
- Purchase toffee bits instead of making your own to save time making these toffee cookies.
- Store in an airtight container for up to 5 days, or in the freezer for 6 months. You can leave them at room temperature.
- Want to make this more fun? Add some chocolate chips to the toffee cookies!
- To smash the toffee bits, you can use a meat mallet or rolling pin.
- The toffee recipe that worked the best used Earth Balance and was heated to a hard crack (300 F) vs a soft crack. The toffee recipe down below makes around double of what you need. Cutting the recipe any smaller would require a very tiny pot. You can always store the extra toffee in an airtight container in the fridge for another recipe.
Nutrition
Updated on August 30th, 2022
Abbey Sharp is a Registered Dietitian (RD), regulated by the Ontario College of Dietitians. She is a mom, YouTuber, Blogger, award winning cookbook author, media coach specializing in food and nutrition influencers, and a frequent contributor to national publications like Healthline and on national broadcast TV shows.
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