Fall officially starts October 1st. Get your pumpkin spice lattes and start bobbing for apples.

Get a taste of this caramel apple tart. Great for parties big and small.

Step 1: Salted Caramel

Who doesn't love salted caramel? Nothing smells and taste like fall more than apples, cinnamon and salted caramel. In my opinion you can never have enough caramel. Get ready because this recipe is loaded with salted caramel.

The first step, and can be done days in advances. (Plus save a little extra for ice cream!)

Ingredients:

1 cup Sugar

1/2 cup Butter

1/4 cup Cream (warmed)

2 teaspoons Sea Salt

In a sauce pan, heat caramel. Be sure to stir often to ensure all crumps are gone. Allow the sugar to get to a dark amber color. Don't be afraid, typically when the sugar is at the amber stage it will start to smoke. That's ok! Slowly add butter in while stirring. Once all of the butter is incorporate, it is time to whisk in the cream. This is when you must be very careful. Warm cream works better, but cold cream can work as well. Pour in slowly allowing to bubble up. Once all of the cream is incorporated add salt. Allow to cool and store for up to 2 weeks.

Step 2: An Apple a Day Keeps the Doctor Away, Why Not Three!

For this recipe I used Wilcox Organic Gala apples local to Arizona. The apple selections are endless, so go with what you have available. Some great options are Honey Crisp, Granny Smith, Jonagolds. Melrose.

to make 8 tarts, you will need three large apples. Slice 1/8 inch thick. No need to be perfect, different thicknesses give the dessert texture.

Toss the apples in 3/4 cup lemon juice or sprite to prevent browning. Strain.

Combine below ingredients together in a large bowl. Add apple and toss.

Ingredients:

All-Purpose Flour 3 tablespoons

Cinnamon. 1 teaspoon

Brown Sugar 2/3 cup

Nutmeg 1/8 teaspoon

Step 3: Apple Jax Streusel

This is the only complicated step of this whole recipe. I used steel cut oats because the texture is different from any quick oats or cereal oats out on the market. However steel cut oats must first be soaked and baked in order to use. Its an essential step and if this seems to complicated omit the apple juice and use microwave oats, no pre-baking necessary.

Ingredients:

Apple Juice 2 cups

Butter (cold) 5 tablespoons

Brown Sugar 2/3 cup

All Purpose Flour 1/2 cup

Cinnamon 1 teaspoon

Nutmeg 1/2 teaspoon

Steel Cut Oats 1/2 cup

Soak oats in apple juice overnight. Drain and bake at 325 degrees for 10 minutes, stirring occasionally. Allow to cool.

Once oats are at room temperature combine with brown sugar, flour, cinnamon and nutmeg. Cut in butter with a fork just until the mixture starts to form a dough. Wrap up and chill for 2 hours.

Once chilled, crumble on a sheet pan and bake for 10 minutes at 325 degrees.

Step 4: Puff Baby Puff

Its easy to buy store bought puff pastry. Easier to buy, almost impossible to make! Puff pastry typically comes in large sheets. Often it is to thick so it should be rolled out.

Roll out puff pastry to about 1/8th of an inch this. Eye ball it here, no one is perfect! cut into 5 inch squares.

"Dock" to pastry and line in a cupcake pan.

It is important to weigh down the dough to prevent it from puffing up to much. In this case, I used plastic wrap and baking beans and created a sack. The plastic will shrink but not melt, I promise. Bake the dough for 10 minutes at 325 degrees with beans, remove and bake for an additional 5 minutes.

Step 5: Serve and Devour!

Its time to bring the magic together.

Listen carefully:

Step 1: CARAMEL! Add a spoon full of the salted caramel.

Step 2: Add 5-6 slices of apples

Step 3: CARAMEL, CARAMEL, CARAMEL! Didn't I say you could never have enough apples?

Step 4: Apples

Step 5: Need I repeat myself? CARAMEL!

Step 6: Sprinkle your labor intensive apple streusel

Bake for 5 minutes and you are done!

Step 6:

Add a little vanilla ice cream, and extra caramel glaze on top.

Be creative, I originally added bourbon bacon ice cream to this dish. Yes. I said bacon.