Preheat the oven to 350°F. Line a 7x11 baking dish with foil and spray with cooking spray, set aside.
In a large bowl cream the butter with the brown sugar until smooth with an electric hand mixer. Slowly stir in the flour (and optional sea salt) until combined. Press the mixture into the bottom of the prepared baking dish. Bake for 15 minutes until lightly golden brown.
Sprinkle the chocolate chips evenly over the crust, followed by the pecans, then the caramel bits. Pour the sweetened condensed milk over everything trying to cover the top as best you can. Bake for 30-35 minutes until golden brown on top.
Let the bars cool in the pan completely. Once they are completely cool, cut them into bars and serve.
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Notes
These bars are addictive, chewy, and soft! Chocolate is the predominant flavor. I used semi-sweet chocolate chips since we added even more sweet ingredients, but use the variety of chocolate chips you prefer. You can even mix up the chocolate chips, or other toppings as long as you keep the same ratio.These bars also cut better if cold. So if you want to refrigerate them overnight and then cut them, that would work too.