Preheat your oven to 400°F. Line a large baking sheet with foil and spray well with cooking spray.
Arrange the Ritz crackers in a single layer on the baking sheet. You may need to break a few crackers to fit, but make sure they cover the whole surface.
54 Ritz crackers
In a medium saucepan, melt the butter and brown sugar over medium heat. Stir continuously until the sugar dissolves, and the mixture comes to a boil.
1 cup unsalted butter, 1 cup packed brown sugar
Once it starts boiling, let it cook for 4-5 minutes without stirring, then remove from heat and stir in the vanilla extract.
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
Carefully drizzle the hot caramel mixture over the layer of Ritz crackers. Make sure to drizzle it all over the crackers to cover as much surface as possible. It will spread more as it bakes.
Bake in the preheated oven for 5 minutes, or until the caramel is bubbly and golden brown.
Remove from the oven and immediately sprinkle the chocolate chips over the hot caramel. Let them sit for 3-4 minutes to melt, then spread the melted chocolate into an even layer using a spatula.
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips
(Optional) Sprinkle the crushed nuts, sea salt, or crushed ritz crackers over the chocolate for added crunch.
½ cup crushed pecans, flakey sea salt
Let the sheet cool to room temperature, then place it in the fridge for at least an hour to harden. Once set, break into pieces and enjoy!