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 $22, you get a 24-cookie gift box (a $50 value) from Insomnia Cookies, a Manhattan-based cookie-delivery service. Shipping is included in the value of today's deal; giftees in Manhattan will receive their gifts the day they order them, so long as the order is placed before 3 p.m.

Insomnia Cookies began as a project to feed fresh-baked cookies to hungry college students who spend the wee hours studying, partying, or studying parties for an anthropology course. Cookie gift boxes can come in your choice of chocolate-brown box or gleaming-gold tin (the tin is recommended for long-distance shipping). Inside, your mother, father, or long-lost identical twin will discover 24 deliciously soft cookies in signature flavors, which include chocolate chunk, snickerdoodle, and white-chocolate macadamia, to name just a few. You also have the option to choose your own flavors. Include a message in the complimentary greeting card, or leave it blank as a haunting memento to the delicious flavors words cannot express.

Reviews

Insomnia Cookies has generated a lot of media buzz for its late-night cookies. The New York Times, New York Post, DailyCandy, and Gotham are among the media outlets that have featured Insomnia Cookies. More than 100 Yelpers give Insomnia Cookies four stars:

• Chocolate chunk, macadamia, peanut butter, and oatmeal rounds have zero regard for portion control or calorie counting — which means they are absolutely delicious. – DailyCandy
• Need to hurry and procure a birthday party gift or treat for someone special? Think of Insomnia Cookies and its new store as your last-minute lifesaver. – Cristina Greeven Cuomo, Gotham
• so good, so warm, so sugary, just YUM... any sort of excuse you can come up with to order these, use it! – Chelle M., Yelp