Slow Cooker Salted Caramel Hot Chocolate

INGREDIENTS

2 cups

semi sweet OR milk chocolate chips (milk chocolate chips will yield a much richer flavor - I like to use a combination of both!)

1/2 cup

caramels, unwrapped

4 cups

milk

2 cups

heavy cream

1 tsp

vanilla

1/2 tsp

fine sea salt (for regular non-salted caramel hot chocolate, leave this out)

optional: whipping cream, caramel sauce (like caramel ice cream topping)