Last summer, my family visited the Blue Gate area of Shipshewana, Indiana, a very small town (pop. ~670 (no, seriously)) that happens to be an Amish enclave. More specifically, we went there for the area's famous restaurant and then the bakery next door.

During our meal — which was absolutely delicious, by the way — we noticed something strange: On the table, they had a squeeze bottle of what they called Blue Gate peanut butter. Not something you'd usually see. Still, we were curious, so we put some on the rolls they served us, and man, let me tell you, we couldn't get enough of it.

It's not just plain peanut butter, you see. It's actually a mix of peanut butter, marshmallow cream, and a little of something they call "Blue Gate syrup" (which I think is just corn syrup). There might also be a touch of maple flavor in there?

Whatever the case, this gooey sweet stuff is ridiculously addictive and most assuredly unhealthy, and it goes perfectly on so many things: breads of all kinds (I literally just spread some on two slices of bread while writing this post), pancakes and waffles, bananas and apples, ice cream (try warming it a bit first!), and of course the spoons you'll likely be using to gobble it up straight out of the jar.

There's a reason this guy called it the “closest thing to a controlled substance in the Amish repertoire.” Tread carefully here, friends.

I recommend starting with a small 8 fl oz jar ($5) to see what the fuss is about. When you're ready to commit on the next one (can't say I didn't warn you), the 16 fl oz jar is just a buck more. And when you finally throw up your hands and admit to yourself that the addiction has fully set it, you can buy jars by the dozen.

(Side note: My understanding is that Der Dutchman is a similar kind of Amish- and Mennonite-style bakery, with a comparable peanut butter spread. I haven't tried that particular product yet, but I was recently lucky enough to try their Amish creamsticks/long johns — thanks to a friend who picked some up for us while they were at the Sarasota, FL location — and they were amazing. The vanilla was easily my favorite.)