Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C) and line an 8” x 8” (23 cm x 23 cm) pan with a piece of parchment paper.

In a medium mixing bowl, stir together the flour, cocoa powder, and salt. Set aside.

In a large mixing bowl, stir together the melted butter, sugar, and vanilla extract. Once combined, add the eggs one at a time and stir just until combined.

Add the dry mixture to the wet and stir just until almost no streaks of flour remain. Do not overmix! Fold in the chocolate chips.

Spread over the bottom of the prepared pan.

Let cool completely, about 1 hour. You can make and refrigerate these up to 4 days in advance. You can also place them in the fridge to speed things up. If the brownies are cold, then the caramel will firm up more quickly. While the brownies are cooling, make the caramel.

Place the sugar, salt, cream of tartar, and water in a deep, heavy-bottomed saucepan that holds at least 1 1/2 quarts (the syrup will bubble up as it cooks). Stir briefly to combine, then set the pan over medium-high heat. From this point on, swirl the pan instead of stirring to help prevent crystals from forming.

When the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium and watch it carefully. No walking away! The syrup will start turning golden at the edges. Gently swirl the pan without lifting it off the heat to even out the color.

As the syrup darkens to light amber, remove the pan from the heat as soon as you notice darker streaks. Avoid letting the sugar syrup become too dark, as it will continue to cook slightly after being removed from the heat. Darker syrup has a richer flavor, but letting it go past medium amber can result in bitter or smoky notes.

Immediately after removing the caramel from the heat, stir in the butter, one tablespoon at a time. Gradually add the heavy cream, stirring until fully incorporated. Return the pan to the heat and continue cooking until the mixture reaches 235 °F (113 °C). Remove from the heat again, stir in the vanilla, and mix until smooth.

Let the caramel cool in the pan on a cooling rack for 30–40 minutes. If you want it to cool faster, transfer it to a wide, shallow, heatproof container. The caramel should still be pourable but not too runny.

This caramel can be made up to 3 days in advance and stored in the refrigerator. It will firm up in the fridge, so reheat gently to make it pourable again.

Preheat the oven to 350 °F (175 °C).

Spread the pecans on a rimmed baking sheet and bake for 3 minutes. Stir and bake for another 3-6 minutes or until fragrant.

Remove the baking sheet to a cooling rack to cool for about 10 minutes. Chop finely and measure out 3/4 cup (90 grams). Don’t use the dust.

Pour 1 cup (287 grams) of caramel sauce over the top of the totally cooled or cold brownies.

Place in the fridge for 1-2 hours or in the freezer for about 20 minutes or until the caramel is firm enough to hold up the pecans.

Meanwhile, make the ganache. Place the chocolate in a small bowl. Heat the cream in a small saucepan over medium heat until hot and steamy. Pour the cream over the chocolate and stir until the chocolate is totally melted. Let sit for about 20 minutes or until firm enough to put in a piping bag.

Sprinkle the cooled, chopped pecans over the chilled caramel.

Pipe the ganache over the top of the pecans.

Refrigerate until the topping has firmed up and cut into bars. Cover and refrigerate for up to 4 days.