National Cookie Day: Deals and Freebies From Subway, Potbelly, Great American Cookies

National Cookie Day is Dec. 4, landing just three weeks before Christmas. That gives you plenty of time to indulge before you have to leave some cookies out for Santa. 

The National Cookie Day "holiday" was inaugurated in 1987 by Matt Nader, owner of San Francisco's Blue Chip Cookie Company.

"It's just like having National Secretaries Day," Nader told the Los Angeles Times at the time. "It will just be a fun thing to do."
The origins of the cookie, though, are a bit fuzzier: Some point to the oatcakes that first-century Scots munched on while traveling, while others look to bakers in seventh-century Persia, who made mini "cakes" to test their ovens.
By the 14th century, sugar was more readily accessible across Europe, and even modest households could produce what we would recognize today as cookies. 

Below, check out the growing list of companies celebrating National Cookie Day 2022 with free food, discounts and more. And check back again for updates.

Want more on cookies? Find out which Girl Scout Cookie is the all-time best and try this recipe for yummy chocolate chip cookies made with pancake batter.

Cheryl's Cookies

On National Cookie Day, Cheryl's Cookies is offering $20 off purchases of $60, $30 off purchases of $80, and $50 off purchases of $150 or more. Use the discounts to stock up on cookie flavors like caramel apple, cookie dough, maple sugar and cinnamon roll.

Looking for a present for that loved one with a sweet tooth? Cheryl's Shimmering Bakery Gift Tower is $35, or 30% off the retail price. 

Deux

Deux specializes in edible raw cookie dough enhanced with ingredients like zinc, Vitamin C and ginseng. On National Cookie Day, get 20% off your order when you use promo code COOKIE20 at checkout.

DoorDash

As part of DoorDash's Deck The Doorstep campaign, enjoy 50% off shipping on orders of up to $40 through Dec. 12 when you use promo code SHIPDEALS40 at checkout. Participating cookie purveyors include Magnolia Bakery, Levain and Milk Bar.

Great American Cookies

Loyalty members who make a purchase at Great American Cookies on Dec. 4 get a reward on their next visit within the next seven days -- including a free regular cookie; BOGO cookie or 20 bonus loyalty points. 

Insomnia Cookies

Insomnia Cookies will have extended hours on National Cookie Day, when the company's 225-plus locations will stay open an extra hour (most until 1 a.m. or later).

Plus, customers get a free classic cookie with any purchase in-store or on the app. Favorites include chocolate chunk, classic with M&M's, double chocolate mint, snickerdoodle and peanut butter cup.  

Jacques Torres 

On Dec. 4, the French chocolatier is offering 15% off all cookies and cookie mixes at his shops in Grand Central Terminal and Brooklyn, as well as on the Jacques Torres website. 

Lenny & Larry's 

Through Dec. 4, Lenny & Larry's is offering 20% off its protein-rich cookies, including the Complete Cookie, the Complete Crunchy Cookie, the Keto Cookie, the Boss and the Complete Cremes.
Just use code NATLCOOKIEDAY at checkout.

Nick's

Nick's Cookie Kräms squeeze Swedish-style ice cream between two chewy cookies -- in flavors including Vanilj Cookie, Triple Choklad, Cookies & Kräm, and Mint Chokladchip.

In honor of National Cookie Day, Nick's is offering $5 off any Cookie Kräm Bundle order on Dec. 4, using the discount code COOKIES.

Panera

Through Dec. 4, get a free cookie (or brownie) when you order $15 or more from Panera using DoorDash.

Potbelly

Potbelly is celebrating National Cookie Day by offering a free cookie with the purchase of an entree to all Potbelly Perks members.
A credit for a cookie will automatically be added to your account on the morning of Dec. 4 -- all you have to do is choose whether you want an oatmeal chocolate chip cookie, sugar cookie, chocolate brownie cookie or dream bar.  

New Perks members also earn a free sandwich after their first purchase. 

Real Cookies

Connecticut-based Real Cookies is offering 25% off online orders from Dec. 4 to 10 when you use discount code CookieDay2022 at checkout. 

The deal also applies to limited-edition products like the Holiday Dip & Sprinkle Cookie Decorating Kit and the You're Awesome Box, a sampler of six chocolate chip, peanut butter chocolate chip and lemon blueberry cookies with pop-open note cards.

Subway 

For one day only, on Dec. 4, Subway is launching the Cookieway cookie pop-up, at the Subway at 1575 SW Eighth Street in Miami's Little Havana neighborhood. 

Special footlong cookies will be available on a first-come, first-served basis in exchange for a donation to the nonprofit Subway Cares Foundation.
Inspired by Subway subs, the limited-edition menu includes:

• The Subway Cookie Club, a double-chocolate cookie stacked with chunks of chocolate chip, white-chocolate macadamia and raspberry-cheesecake cookies, plus vanilla frosting, rainbow sprinkles and chocolate and raspberry sauce.
• The Mexi-Cali, a vanilla sugar cookie base drizzled with dulce de leche and topped with mole, corn nuts, white chocolate sauce, ground coffee, espresso chips and Tajín chili-lime seasoning.
• The Monster, a double chocolate cookie smothered in peanut butter, sprinkled with peanut butter cups, Reese's pieces, butterscotch morsels and pretzels, and finished with both chocolate and white chocolate sauces. 
• The Great Pickle, a unique combination of peanut butter and marshmallow crème on a vanilla sugar cookie, topped with salty potato chips, savory bacon crumbles and -- yes-- dill pickles.

If you can't make it to Miami, Subway is also selling six- and 12-pack bundles of its traditional cookies nationwide, and offering $2 off a footlong sub when you order a cookie on the Subway app or Subway.com. 

Sun-Maid

People have very strong opinions about raisins in cookies: Some love the juicy morsels and others can't stand 'em. Celebrity chef Duff Goldman and Sun-Maid are calling a timeout with the limited-edition Duff x Sun-Maid Truce Cookie Kit, which comes with everything you need to make Duff's Truce Cookie -- half chocolate chip and half oatmeal-raisin -- including a Sun-Maid holiday sweater and spatula. 

To enter to win a kit, go to this Sunmaid Instagram post by Dec. 4 and tag someone you'd like to declare a truce with. Thirty winners will be announced at noon PT on Dec. 16.  

Tiff's Treats

Tiffany and Leon Chen have been baking cookies and other sweet treats at Tiff's Treats since 1999. 
On Friday, Saturday and Sunday, the store will offer a free chocolate chip cookie to every visitor. And running through Dec. 7, Tiff's Treats' holiday sweepstakes will give a lucky winner 10 cookie deliveries to send to people on their holiday gift list, along with a one-year Tiff's Treats Elites membership and a $250 gift card.