Preheat the Oven for Perfect Baking

Start by preheating your oven to 350°F (175°C). This step ensures that your brownies bake evenly and come out perfectly moist.

Mixing Dry Ingredients for Consistency

In a medium-sized bowl, combine your flour, baking soda, salt, and cinnamon (if you’re using it). Whisk them together to ensure the baking soda is evenly distributed throughout the flour. This step is important to avoid clumps of baking soda in the batter and ensures your brownies rise evenly.

Mashing Bananas to the Perfect Consistency

In a separate bowl, peel your ripe bananas and mash them using a fork or potato masher. Aim for a smooth consistency with a few small chunks for added texture. You’ll need about 1 ½ to 2 cups of mashed bananas. If you're a big fan of banana flavor, feel free to add more bananas to the mix.

Combine Wet and Dry Ingredients for Smooth Batter

Now it’s time to combine the wet ingredients (bananas, butter, sugars, eggs, and vanilla extract) in a large bowl. Stir until everything is well mixed. Once combined, gradually add the dry ingredients to the wet mixture. Gently stir the batter until it’s fully incorporated. Be careful not to overmix, as this can affect the texture of your brownies.

Bake the Brownies to Perfection

Pour the batter into your greased or parchment-lined baking pan and smooth the top with a spatula. Place the pan in the preheated oven and bake for 25 to 30 minutes. You’ll know the brownies are done when a toothpick inserted into the center comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs. The top should be golden brown and slightly soft in the middle for that perfect fudgy texture.