During the Victorian era, cookies were known as "sweet biscuits" and were eaten only by paupers, who were forced to substitute rich, hearty tallow with inexpensive sugar. Relish this sweet substitution with today's Groupon: for $9, you get two-dozen mini imperial cookies at High Tea Bakery (an $18 value).

Savoured by the likes of Queen Elizabeth and awarded the silver medal at the Great Manitoba Food Fight, High Tea Bakery's raspberry-filled and icing-glazed almond shortbread cookies are made from scratch daily by the bakery's mother-daughter duo. The dainty mini imperial cookie offers a miniature take on the classic, ideally sized for convenient shirt-pocket storage. It may behoove customers to call ahead and pre-order their 24 morsels to ensure their presence at high tea or a court-arraignment after-party.