Bar cookies might be the easiest.
Here's a couple...

TURTLES

Crust:
2 C flour
1 C brown sugar
C butter, at room temperature

Caramel:
1 C butter
1½ C brown sugar
3 Tbsp corn syrup
2 C pecans

12 ounces chocolate chips

Preheat oven to 350°
Mix crust ingredients in mixer bowl at medium speed until well mixed and dough forms fine particles. With hands pat dough into a 9X13 pan.
In a saucepan over medium heat, mix butter, syrup and brown sugar for caramel. Bring to a boil; boil for one minute, stirring constantly.
Sprinkle nuts over crust; pour caramel over all.
Bake 18 to 22 minutes, until surface bubbles.
Immediately after removing from oven pour chocolate chips evenly over all. Let stand briefly to melt then spread chocolate with a smooth knife.
Cool, cut into squares.

Here's a good drop cookie..

Rich Chocolate-Cherry Cookies

Yields: About 3 dozen cookies
Cook Time: 13 minutes per batch
Total Time: 45 minutes plus cooling

1 package (8 ounces) semisweet-chocolate squares, coarsely chopped
6 tablespoons margarine or butter, cut up
3/4 cup sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 large eggs
1/4 cup all-purpose flour
1/4 cup unsweetened cocoa
1/2 teaspoon baking powder
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 package (6 ounces) semisweet-chocolate chips (1 cup)
1 cup dried tart cherries

1. Preheat oven to 350 degrees F. In 3-quart saucepan, melt chocolate with margarine or butter over low heat, stirring frequently. Remove saucepan from heat and, with wire whisk, stir in sugar and vanilla until blended. Whisk in eggs, 1 at a time. With spoon, stir in flour, cocoa, baking powder, and salt. Add chocolate chips and cherries, stir just until evenly mixed.
2. Drop dough by rounded tablespoons, 1 1/2 inches apart, onto ungreased large cookie sheet. Bake 13 to 15 minutes, until tops of cookies are set. Let cookies remain on cookie sheet on wire rack 1 minute to cool slightly. With wide metal spatula, transfer cookies to wire rack to cool completely. Repeat with remaining dough. Store cookies in tightly covered container up to 2 weeks.

Nancy

Sharon - these are very good and easy since you can roll the balls one-handed on the counter (or on a board). THe originals are good too, but we really like the egg nog sort for the holidays.

Eggnog Snickerdoodles
2 3/4c flour
1 1/2c sugar
1 c butter
2 eggs
2 tsp cream of tartar
1 tsp baking soda
1/4 tsp salt
1/8 tsp nutmeg (optional, but it is better with a little)
1/2 tsp brandy extract
1/2 tsp rum extract

Sugar mix:
1/4c sugar
1 tsp nutmeg

Mix cookie ingredients. Shape into walnut sized balls. Roll in combined sugar mixture.
Bake 8-10 minutes @ 375°. Yields: 4 doz. (and I always double the recipe).

I sometimes even make a glaze from confectioners sugar and just a bit of egg nog (carton) to drizzle over the top.

Another easy treat to do with one hand would be a 'bark" of some type-- once it sets just wack it with a small mallet to break into pieces

Tiger Bark

Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Candy & other confections

Tiger Bark
==========
1 cup milk chocolate chips
2 cups (12 ounce) vanilla milk chips or almond bark
2 cups peanut butter chips
1/2 cup chopped peanuts
. . Line jellyroll pan with foil. In microwave, melt 3 types of chips
separately, stirring until smooth. Pour melted peanut butter chips into
prepared pan, spreading level. Sprinkle on peanuts. Pour melted vanilla
and chocolate chips on top, drizzling each randomly. To marbleize, use
knife to pull through chocolate in wide curves. Refrigerate until set.
Break into pieces.

or a Rugalach-- you could cut the dough, she can add the filling and roll.Nancy's recipe is easy to work with-- just cut into 3 or 4 in squares-- mix some raspberry preserves with chpped nuts & mini choc chips and roll corner to corner-- bake rolled point down

Diane's Home Cookin Chapter: Christmas Cookies

CREAM CHEESE COOKIES
====================
This Dough Is One That You Can Roll Thick, If You Like A Softer Cutout still holds up.

1 ½ cup sugar
1 cup unsalted butter
1 8ounce package cream cheese
1 egg
1 teaspoon vanilla
½ tsp almond extract
3 ½ cup flour (I like unbleached)
1 teaspoon baking powder
. In a mixing bowl cream sugar, butter and cream cheese until fluffy. Add
egg and flavorings, beat smooth' Stir together the flour and baking
powder, add to creamed mixture and mix thoroughly.

FOR CUT-OUT COOKIES Chill dough. Roll out on surface dusted with a
mixture of ½ powered sugar and ½ flour, ¼ to ½ inch thick depending on
your preference. Cut into desired shapes. Place on ungreased cookie
sheet ( I line with parchment paper) and bake in a 375° oven 8-10
minutes. Watch for the edges to just barely begin to brown if you like
a moist cookie. Cool and frost.

COOKIE PRESS COOKIES

Divide dough into portions and add desired colors. Force through cookie
press onto ungreased cookie sheets. Bake in a 375° oven 8-10 minutes.
Remove from cookie sheet and cool on wire rack. Before baking brush
with slightly beaten egg white and sprinkle with colored sprinkles if
desired. Note...I have added about 4 oz of almond paste to the dough
when making the cookie press cookies.....yum!

FAVORITE ICING FOR CUTOUT COOKIES

2 c powered sugar, sifted 2 Tbsp softened butter ¼ tsp vanilla ¼ tsp
almond extract 1 egg white ¼ C milk or cream

Combine egg white and milk, set aside. Beat together powered sugar,
butter and flavorings. Add small amounts of the milk mixture until
icing is spreading consistency. Tint with desired colors. Using the egg
white will give you a nice finish on the icing, the butter will keep it
soft on the inside.

Easiest candy ever! And always a crowd favorite.

Peanut Clusters

1 lb vanilla almond bark coating
1 (12-oz) bag chocolate chips
20 oz salted Spanish peanuts

Melt almond bark and chocolate chips together (I do this in the micro). Stir in peanuts and drop by spoonfuls on waxed paper.

The recipe you are talking about Chase is Haystacks. Super easy. I've never made them but I have enjoyed them. Here's a link. There are other recipes out there including one made with potao chips!

This is beyond easy. Here are pretzels with Rolos and pecans and pretzels with hugs and m&m's

{{gwi:2096719}}

Holiday Pretzel Treats
Originally published in FamilyFun magazine.

Salty pretzels combine with sweet chocolate for these fun treats that make a yummy gift few can resist. (In fact, you may want to make some extras for yourself!)
Bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels
Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug
M&M's candy
Can use Rollos and Pecans

Step 1
Heat the oven to 170º. Set a number of bite-size, waffle-shaped pretzels (one for each treat) in a single layer on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, then top each pretzel with an unwrapped Hershey's Kiss or Hershey's Hug.

Step 2
Bake for 4 to 6 minutes (the white chocolate will melt more quickly), until the chocolates feel soft when touched with a wooden spoon. Remove the cookie sheet from the oven and quickly press an M&M's candy into the center of each Kiss.

Step 3
Allow the treats to cool for a few minutes, then place them in the refrigerator to set, about 10 minutes. Place handfuls of the candies in clear plastic bags and tie on colorful ribbons.

Chocolate dipped maraschino cherries are also delish and very easy to do with one hand - problem is that that one hand picks up the cherry dips it in chocolate and somehow manages to deposit it in the mouth on the way to the to the parchment paper ;-)

I made haystacks every summer at camp with the kids. Very easy to do. They loved them, but we had to watch for allergies so we couldn't use peanuts or peanut butter. We melted a big bag chocolate chips with about a tablespoon or two of butter, mixed it together. Then poured that over a bowl of chow mein noodles and mini marshmallows to it. Some we sprinkle with coconut, or sprinkles or left it plain.

Granjan, that peanut butter one sounds so good!

Too late to call Mom for the recipe but the one on this link looks like what we use to make as kids way back when. Simple but good. Have fun and give little Ms. Sara a big ole hug for/from me!

David

These are the recipes I use.

Chow Mein Noodle Cookies

1 (3 oz) pkg chocolate chips
1 can chow mein noodles
1 cup salted peanuts

Melt chocolate chips and add chow mein noodles and peanuts. Mix well.

Drop by spoonfuls on a buttered cookie sheet. Refrigerate until firm.

***********************

Chocolate Coconut Macaroons (No Bake Cookies)

2 cups white sugar
½ cup butter or margarine
½ cup milk
½ tsp vanilla
5 6 Tbsp cocoa (do not use FRYs brand)
3 cups rolled oats
1 cup coconut

In large pot, mix together sugar, butter, cocoa, milk, and vanilla. On medium heat, let mixture come to a foaming boil that cannot be stirred down and boil for 1 minute (NO LONGER). Time your minute as soon as you see the first bubble. If mixture boils too long, macaroons will be hard and sugary and will fall apart.

Remove from stove; add rolled oats and coconut. Mix completely and drop by spoonfuls onto waxed paper (work quickly because mixture will harden in the pan). Let stand until firm. Yield: 45 cookies.

Forgot to mention that for the chocolate coconut macaroons, you can top each cookie with half a candied cherry (some red and some green) for the holidays. Just push down on the candied cherry in the center of the cookie just a little, not too much,

Thanks everyone some great ideas! All cookies with peanuts are out but we can work around that.

Sara sent me this email last night.

"Hi aunt Sharon it's Sara.
I think we made chocolate bark and peanut butter cookies but I can't take peanut butter to school. I need eight boxes. I can't wait to see you and Meredith.
See you soon.
LOVE Sara."

She is talking about two years ago, prior to her stroke. Last year she wasn't really up to it. I know for a fact we didn't make peanut butter cookies we made shortbread ...I had forgotten about the bark.

Thanks for all the recipes I'll let her and Meredith choose. Should be a fun day. I'll be sure to take pics.