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 $12, you get a baker's dozen of cookies at Milk & Cookies Bakery (a $24 value after tax, which is included), located in the West Village.

Called "the place of children's sugar-filled dreams" by New York magazine, Milk & Cookies bakes made-to-order cookies concocted with premium butter, chocolate, and other lip-smacking ingredients. Follow the smell of cookie dough to the bakery's tidy and artistically adorned storefront, where you'll choose from 14 flavors that you can mix and match within a baker's dozen. The chocolate chip emits the nostalgic aromas of melted chocolate morsels and soft dough, and the s'mores cookie delights taste buds with its campfire flavors. Visitors also will receive 10% off any additional items bought in the store the day they pick up their cookies, creating an opportunity to munch on the bakery's walnut brownies ($3.75), wake up with freshly ground coffee ($2.25, 10 oz.), or conjure your favorite incarnation of Dick Clark with the supernatural power of the magic bar ($3.25).

Reviews

Milk & Cookies was reviewed in New York magazine and Time Out New York. More than 130 Yelpers give it a four-star average.

• Once you’ve sampled the delectably lethal graham-cracker, dark-chocolate, and toffee-chip magic bars, each enriched with sweetened condensed milk and dusted with coconut, any thoughts of diets will likely be relegated to your dreams. – David S. Hirschman, New York