Back when the snickerdoodle and the Thin Mint were nothing more than dance crazes, sock-hopping teens secretly wished for tiny candied Frisbees to complement their moves. Wishes do come true with today's Groupon: for $6, you get $12 worth of cookies and cupcakes at Grandma's Cookies in St. Charles.

Grandma's Cookies’ bakers craft succulent cookies and cupcakes using time-tested recipes originated more than 30 years ago by grandmotherly founder Charlotte Thompson. Dough disks abound in traditional flavors such as chocolate chip, snickerdoodle, or oatmeal raisin or, depending on the season, sugar sprinkle or ginger spice ($0.60 each). Order a cookie a la mode to pair a lucky sugar circle with a scoop of creamy vanilla ice cream, or stock up with a dozen cookies ($6) before attempting for barter with fur traders. Grandma's shrink-rayed cakes come in a triad of mouthwatering, seasonally rotating flavors such as chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry ($0.95/each, $9.50/dozen). Glasses of freshly brewed iced tea and lemonade wash down sweet treats or fill the moat around a freshly constructed cupcake castle.

Grandma's diner-style eatery is located inside a building constructed in 1816, a former rectory for priests traveling to the West. Black-and-white-checkered tiles evoke both the 1950s and the daydreams of Garry Kasparov, and cushy booth seating affords lovebirds the chance to get cozy while supping on a cookie fresh out of its oven-womb.