I have tried the same recipe many times and found other things besides chocolate chips that give a shiny crust. They all have something in common; they don't dissolve into the batter. I have made my brownie recipe with sugar and no chips(=no crust), sucanat instead of sugar and no chips (=crust), honey granules instead of sugar and no chips(=crust), and sugar with chocolate chips (=crust). I will keep experimenting but there seems to be a correlation here.

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