This $4 Limited-Edition Find Will Give You All the ’90s Feels

I was born in 1985, which means I spent my formative years in the post-grunge ’90s era. I grew up listening to the Spice Girls and watching TRL. It was a world filled with butterfly clips and rainbow Trapper Keepers. (You know the ones.) And although my tween years may be behind me, I will forever be a card-carrying member of the ’90s nostalgia fan club. 

Which is why I was over the neon-colored moon when I discovered Pillsbury had launched a sugar cookie dough in partnership with Lisa Frank last year. The limited-edition cookies were a hot commodity — they were sold out at several stores when I first tried to order them online. (It took 20 minutes and three retailers later to find a box at my local Wegmans.)

Since then, I’ve been periodically checking to see if this in-demand item has returned. After months of waiting, I noticed the rainbow-hued box is finally back on shelves. So, of course, I added them to my cart.

Much like my favorite seasonal sugar cookies stamped with bunnies for Easter and trees for Christmastime, these cookies prominently display a pink unicorn head surrounded by blue stars. Upon the box’s arrival, I was greeted with the familiar cartoon unicorn in a star-filled universe. Ah, Lisa Frank, how I missed your optimistic wonderland!

But what’s on the inside is equally fantastic. The dough is “safe to eat raw” (the dough is made with heat-treated flour and pasteurized eggs), and with one nibble I was back in the sweet land of Lisa. 

I preheated the oven and waited what seemed like an eternity for the cookies to bake (in reality, it was 14 minutes) while playing the unicorn name game on the back of the packaging. (My unicorn name is Diamond Fairy.) It was no Teen Beat quiz, but it was a welcome distraction.

I waited for the cookies to finish baking and cool. Finally, I took a bite. It tasted just like other Pillsbury sugar cookies I know and love — sweet and buttery, with a hint of vanilla. But, at the same time, it was somehow better. (I sampled other seasonal Pillsbury sugar cookies, in the name of research, to compare.) Maybe it’s me, maybe it’s the unicorns (they are magical, after all).

While these sugary time machines are perfect on their own, my favorite way to eat them is in sandwich form. I spread vanilla icing between two unicorn cookies. (I recommend Pillsbury’s Whipped Supreme Vanilla.) Then, roll the sides of the cookie sandwiches in rainbow sprinkles or non-pareils for a double dose of rainbows and unicorns. I’ll happily snack on these while I wait for the Spice Girls to officially announce a new reunion tour.

Buy: Pillsbury Ready-to-Bake Lisa Frank Unicorn Shape Sugar Cookie Dough, $3.89 for 9.1 ounces at Target

Which snacks are giving you a serving of nostalgia? Tell us in the comments.