Coffee & Treats in Beecher

Marty's creations are certifiably kosher and have no artificial ingredients. Choose from more than a dozen custom creations from the cookie gallery, ranging from the progressively futuristic chocolate chip ($1.75 each) to the signature chocolate drizzle cookie ($3.50 each). Before you trade your cow for an unenchanted bean, stock up on milk for cookie-tray acquisition; serve 8–12 people with a 60-cookie assortment for $37.99. Foolish lovers don't have to give flowers to apologize; give cookie bouquets—six long-stem cookies lovingly wrapped in a rose box sealed with ribbons, bows, and blown kisses ($39.99).

Founded by ice-cream enthusiasts Donald and Susan Sutherland in 1988, Cold Stone Creamery has grown to more than 1,400 locations across North America. Each day, the shop's scoopers mix up fresh batches of ice cream, yogurt, and sorbet, which are served by the scoop, piled high in sundaes, and blended into shakes. After customers choose their desired flavor, the staffers toss the chilly sustenance upon a slab of frozen granite and fold in a smorgasbord of candy and nuts to achieve the ideal ice-cream-to-add-in ratio. Customers can dream up their own creations or opt for a signature masterpiece, sampling one of more than 11.5 million possible flavor combinations, which still await a brave conqueror to unlock them all. To accommodate sweets cravings at celebrations, staff members also dish out ready-made treats, such as ice-cream cakes, cupcakes, and cookies.

Before Paul and Jared Smith came onboard, the company that became Great Lakes Chocolate & Coffee Co. had no coffee to speak of: it only sold chocolate by the bag, box, or individual morsel. But the brothers recognized how well their rich chocolates complemented a hot cup of joe, and by 2004 they started roasting their own beans. Today, those yield coffees such as the Black & Tan, a combination of dark and light roasts, and the Honduran High Grown, which is harvested on the wings of airplanes.

The coffees add a jolt to Great Lakes’ hot drinks, including seasonal selections such as the pumpkin-pie latte. Organic and decaf teas, as well as cold beverages such as frozen lemonade and fruit smoothies, round out the shop’s drinkable options, all of which complement this family owned and run business’ stock of sweet treats.

The day starts early at Great Harvest Bread Co., where grain gurus Blake, Sharon, and Mike bake loaf after loaf of all-natural, housemade bread. Each batch of dough begins with freshly ground whole-wheat flour milled from family-owned farms in Montana. Salt, yeast, and local honey soon follow. By 9:30 a.m., the Stoimenoffs start pulling their first loaves from the oven, handing out warm, complimentary slices to customers as they enter the store. The bread schedule changes every day, but patrons can always purchase seven of the shop’s mainstays: honey whole wheat, white, nine grain, and four varieties of cinnamon swirl.

Great Harvest’s breads can surely stand alone, but that doesn’t stop the Stoimenoffs from offering made-to-order sandwiches stacked with ham, turkey, or chicken and three types of cheese. For dessert or a sweet breakfast, patrons can grab pumpkin cream-cheese scones and low-fat raspberry muffins, or—if they're kids or adults disguised as kids—score cookies on the house.

Even though Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory has locations throughout the world, it still maintains the small-town candy-store feel envisioned by its creator and CEO, Frank Crail. Crail founded the original location in his adopted hometown of Durango, Colorado, filling the sweet-smelling space with homey accents, such as candy-making demonstrations and games of Pin the Tail on the Chocolatier. Behind the counter, staffers roll fresh granny smith apples in dense caramel and mold lumps of rich fudge on old-style marble slabs. Other fresh confections include mint bark, chocolate-dipped pretzels, and boxed chocolates.

Tropical Smoothie Café’s enthusiastic staff prepares a menu of made-to-order sandwiches, wraps, and salads and healthy smoothies with an island-inspired approach. The jamaican jerk wrap enfolds a blend of chicken, mozzarella, seasoned rice, black beans, and jerk sauce in a white tortilla or a map of the Caribbean. Layers of deli meats, cheeses, and crisp greens stack up along the café’s sandwich assembly line to form combinations such as roast beef and pepper jack cheese with wasabi caesar dressing or turkey and guacamole drizzled with a cilantro-lime glaze. Crisp romaine lettuce forms the base of gourmet salads, which accessorize with grilled chicken, fresh fruits and vegetables, and signature dressings.