I fell in love with this confection in 2010 when Naomi Lewin, a host on WQXR radio in New York City, made these for me when she interviewed me for a Christmas show she called Nutcracker Sweets. And how deliciously sweet these are! Essentially, they are chopped date and almond meringues. The nuts add crunch, the dates contribute a marvelously moist and chewy interior, and the whole is encased in a thin, crisp meringue shell. This is a family heirloom from Naomi’s Oma (“grandmother”) Hanna Gaaertner, who emigrated from Germany.