Preheat oven to 350°F and grease or line an 8x8 inch square pan with parchment paper.
Melt butter in a microwave-safe container. Whisk in cocoa powder and sugar until combined. Whisk in vanilla extract and eggs, one at a time. Don't over mix.
Stir in flour, salt, and espresso powder; fold in chocolate chips. Spread evenly in the pan and bake for 25-28 minutes until edges are set and a toothpick is removed with desired "gooeyness" level (it's ok if there's a little batter on the toothpick or a slight jiggle in the middle - they'll cool to gooey brownies!). Let brownies cool completely.
Once cooled and other components are ready, spread approximately 1 cup of cooled caramel across brownies. Top immediately with potato chips and then chocolate ganache drizzle. Sprinkle with salt flakes as desired.
Caramel Sauce: Warm the heavy cream in a small saucepan. In a large saucepan, combine the water, sugar, and salt over medium heat. Bring to a boil and simmer without stirring until it turns a rich honey color, approximately 10-12 minutes. You can "swirl" the pan around so it caramelizes evenly. Cook for an additional minute or two as the color deepens. Immediately add the cream while stirring and reduce heat. Use your spoon to push down the bubbles. Stir together and remove from heat. Let cool, store in an airtight jar in the fridge.
Chocolate Ganache: In a microwave-safe bowl, heat chocolate and oil in 15-second increments. Stir in between intervals until chocolate is completely melted (it won't take much, and when you stir it the chocolate should continue to melt, stopping and stirring will ensure it doesn't burn in the microwave).
Notes
You don't have to add the espresso powder, but it definitely brings out a rich, deep chocolate flavor in the brownies! Highly recommended.Bourbon Caramel Sauce is also great in place of regular sea salt caramel. If you don't want to make your own caramel, buy a salted caramel sauce from the store (like what you'd put on ice cream). Caramel will thicken as it cools and sits in the fridge, I spread on the caramel straight from the fridge so it stays thick on the brownies.The longer the potato chips are on top of the caramel layer, they do become slightly soggy; I'd recommend eating the brownies the same day or adding more potato chips for the added crunch the next day.