1-Step 1: Gather and Prepare First, gather all ingredients and prepare your workspace. Slice the ripe bananas thinly to ensure even distribution throughout the salad. Having everything ready before you start makes the process smooth and enjoyable.

2-Step 2: Create the Pudding Base In a large mixing bowl, whisk the instant vanilla or banana pudding mix with 1 cup of nonfat milk until the mixture thickens, about 2 minutes. Allow the pudding to set for about 3 minutes. This step is crucial for developing the right consistency for your fluff salad.

3-Step 3: Add the Fluff Gently fold in 8 ounces of whipped topping to the pudding base to create a fluffy texture. Be careful not to overmix, as you want to maintain as much air in the mixture as possible for that light, cloud-like texture.

4-Step 4: Incorporate the Mix-Ins Carefully add the sliced bananas and 3 cups of mini marshmallows to the mixture, folding them in to maintain fluffiness. Then incorporate 3 cups of broken vanilla wafer pieces, stirring lightly to combine without crushing the wafers completely.

5-Step 5: Chill and Serve Transfer the salad to a serving dish and refrigerate for at least 2 hours to allow flavors to meld and the texture to set. Serve chilled. For best results, this dessert is best served the same day to prevent the bananas from browning and the cookies from becoming soggy.