CAKE DAD: a good cookie recipe that happens to be a lactation cookie recipe

and a bonus cookie recipe

Hello pumpkins,

It is orange and crispy and cool out. I’ve been trying to squeeze in outdoor activities before it becomes too cold. This past Tuesday I went on a tour of the Montreal red light district led by Karen Herland, a part-time faculty member in Concordia University’s Major in Interdisciplinary Studies in Sexuality and a founder of Stella (the SW centre in Montreal) and hosted by the Montreal Jewish Museum. I had the BEST time. I love contextualising history and learning about spots I’d passed hundreds of times. Did you know that De Bullion used to be the most famous brothel street in the city?  I left with a list of things to do a deepdive on once I got home. Montreal’s lovable corruption has always been part of what has drawn me to this city. More walking tours! Next I want to do a ghost tour. Preferably one where they dress up.

I will (finally) be writing about the wonder of gluten-free Italy next week. When I have time to go through my photos and inevitably eat 3 bowls of pasta.

But today we are talking about cookies. Before we get to my recipe, I NEED to share this recipe for pumpkin chocolate chip cookies with you all. They are messed up levels of good. Like a fluffy custard-y muffin top? Easily made GF (oat flour/cup4cup gf flour) and vegan (coconut oil instead of butter). I personally had a grain-free moment with almond flour, coconut flour and used mostly honey as sweetener (do not ask me what ratios I used I have no idea). They’re the kind of cookie I foresee myself making again and again.

A truly good cookie never photographs well

Ok, the lactation cookies!

Just to be clear, I am not lactating. But I have a lot of friends having babies right now and I want to spoil them. I would argue that these cookies are also for pre-nursing and for those who don’t breastfeed at all. They are perfect to bake half for now and keep half the dough in the freezer for emergencies.

I am not a doctor or nutritionist. But basic google research on lactation cookies has brought me to this coconut oil, miso, oat, cinnamon, dark chocolate combo. The brewer’s yeast is a bit more hardcore, but the cinnamon should cover up any weird flavours. Cherries are nice, if you can find them. 

their beauty can’t be captured

lactation cookies (vegan + gluten-free)

1 cup refined coconut oil or unsalted vegan butter
2 cups brown sugar, packed
1/3 cup white miso paste

3 tbsp ground flaxseed
1 tbsp vanilla
1/4 cup oat milk (or other non-dairy milk)
1 cup gf flour (i use bob’s red mill 1-for-1)
2 cup gluten-free oat flour

1 tsp cinnamon
1 1/2 tsp baking powder
1 1/2 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp sea salt
2 cups dark chocolate chips/ chunks/ chopped chocolate

OPTIONAL:

¼ cup brewer’s yeast (triple check it’s gf if you need that)

½ cup dried cherries

½ cup gf rolled oats

1. cream coconut oil or butter with handmixer or in stand mixer for 5-7 minutes on medium. keep scraping down the sides. it will become pale and the sugar granules less coarse.

2. add miso, flax, vanilla, and oat milk to butter/sugar mixer and mix for 1 minute. scrape down sides.

3. add flours,cinnamon baking powder, baking soda, and salt. mix on low for one minute. scrape sides and ensure no butter/sugar ripples run through the dough.

4. fold in chocolate chips (add nuts, marshmallows, pretzels, potato chips here if you so desire).

5. if baking today allow to rest, covered, on the counter for 1 hr. then scoop and bake at 350. for better results scoop onto a tray and refrigerate overnight (the dough becomes very hard and difficult to scoop in the fridge). they can be baked 10-12 minutes for a chewy texture or up to 16 for a crunch. keep an eye out your oven may differ. enjoy.