Preheat oven to 300F degrees.

 Sift together almond flour, unsweetened dark cocoa and powdered sugar; removing the larger lumps of almond pieces. Discard those, you want a really fine powder mixture to create a smooth and pretty top to your cookie.

Beat egg whites until foamy, then add salt, cream of tartar and white sugar for 6-10 mins. Whip until they form a peak that stands upright. Fold flour/sugar mixture into the egg white mixture. Be careful, if you under mix your macarons they will be lumpy and cracked when they bake and they won’t have feet. If you over mix, your macarons will be flat and won’t have feet (the mark of a well-made macaron). A good measure is 65-75 turns of your spatula when folding.

Transfer batter to a pastry bag. Pipe out 1-inch rounds on a baking sheet lined with a silicone baking mat or parchment paper. Tap the pan hard at least 2-3 times to release the air bubbles. This will prevent the tops of your macaroons from cracking. Let sit out for 20-30 mins. This will allow them time to dry out a bit. They should be “tacky” to the touch, but not stick to your fingertips.

Bake for 20 mins. Meanwhile mix the buttercream.

In a high speed blender, blend together dates and water until smooth; approx 30 seconds. Set aside.  

In a stand mixer fitted with the whisk attachment or using an electric hand mixer whip the butter until light and creamy for about 7-8 minutes on medium/high speed. Add blended dates & mix well. Slowly add in the powdered sugar one spoon at a time on medium speed. Let the sugar fully incorporate before adding in more sugar. Add the cream. Whip on high speed for another 3-4 minutes until light, creamy, and fluffy.

Transfer to a pastry bag, fitted with a small tip (about ¼ ” in diameter) Reverse cookie shells on their backs, and pipe a small mound of filling on one of them. Sprinkle lightly with Redmond Ancient Kosher Sea Salt. Top with the other shell. Repeat until all macarons have been filled.