Eat them as is. They should be delicious on their own. A little butter cake that goes well with tea or coffee. Having them already wrapped will speed up slipping one in a lunch bag, pocket or purse.

eta: they are not the same as lady fingers which are usually used for tiramisu.

I would dunk them in chocolate. I don't know if that qualifies as "goop." I was given a bunch of plain commercial shortbread cookies recently and that is what I did. I dipped them in chocolate and let them set,and they were infinitely better than they were plain.

I am a madeleins addict. They never have a greasy feel, just a very buttery flavor. A texture like dry sponge cake. Great with a cup of tea or coffee. I usually don 't find them wrapped. The wrap will keep it moist till the box is empty. You may be pleasantly surprized, no goop needed.

Thanks for the info, Maddielee. I haven't ever been near enough to a tiramisu to know what was in it besides goop. :) Once, I had a forkful pressed upon me. I'm told it was outstanding tiramisu. I didn't spit it out. But I didn't want another one.

No one here is going to eat packaged madeleine's straight out of the box. I might be able to find someone who wants them as is.

Amylou, that's a good idea, but a hard sell. I can't see anyone here wanting chocolate dipped madeleines any more than they want plain ones. It would be more like, hand over the chocolate. Keep the cake. :)

I've tried every search I can think of and they all give me recipes for making the madeleines. Which I know how to do. And if they were all crispy with browned butter and warm and cozy, I just might get someone to eat one or two. Not a couple dozen.

I don't want to put them into a custard pudding. They have the wrong crumb structure and too much sugar and butter to be good that way.

I could soak them in bourbon and add goop. Ugh. Or coat them in batter and deep fry. Double ugh. I suppose they'd make okay molded cake pops, but would need a lot of flavor and "surprises" and I don't want cake pops. I could butter and toast them in the bottom of a dish and add layers of stuff, but that would just be more stuff that no one wants to eat. I suppose I could make crumbs and toast them and put them in parfaits (the closest to goop I get) but cookie crumbs are better than cake crumbs.

Please? Doesn't someone have a better idea?

Maybe I need to find someone who actually wants them? I took them so Mr. Picky wouldn't make a fuss over why anybody would give him such a thing, when it was someone who doesn't really know him who was trying to be nice. But in that same spirit, I guess I feel an obligation to use this gift and honor the giver rather than to just let it linger in the freezer until it's old and freezer burned and then throw it away, which is sad and wasteful.

I get it. And "crispy" was the wrong word, but it's that thing on the edges that makes them taste good. There isn't anyone here who drinks coffee or tea very often and none who would choose to eat a madeleine with either. Mr. Picky would make a bad face and say something rude if you suggested he ingest either a hot drink or a madeleine. The giver really doesn't know him. If it were socks, he'd probably have rejected them, too, if they weren't his particular favored kind, but at least he does wear socks. He really is picky (and has redeeming stellar qualities, but is extremely picky).

I think I'm going to have to give them away. If I can find anyone who actually wants them.

I'd give them away too but you might like them toasted.

Here are some ideas (en francais, I googled it, use Google translate to view) on what to do with leftover or excess madeleines:

This one breaks up the madelines (lemon,
but you can add some more zest/juice) and makes a type of blueberry cake with
them. It looks really good.
http://lesgourmandsdisentdarmelle.fr/2015/02/mendiant-aux-madeleines-et-myrtilles.html

This article has 5 ideas in a slide show on what to do with them, but some of them are "goopy" (I like goopy):

https://www.750g.com/5-recettes-trop-chouettes-que-l-on-peut-faire-avec-des-madeleines-a27001.htm

One of them are cake pops, like you imagined. Filled first and then dipped in a glaze to seal the edges. That could work if you are going to an event, especially with children Lemon curd is always a good option for the filling

There is a Charlotte, but that would fit your description of a goopy mess. You could make one with mousse and a ganache.

Toasted might improve the boxedness of them. Thanks, Bumblebeez! My problem isn't a dislike of madeleines so much as a lack of desire for them. If I'm going to eat cake I want something more worth the carbs.

Gooster, thank-you, that's very helpful! It didn't occur to me to search in their native language. Not sure what I think about chorizo madeleines! But the five things to do were creative. The spiders are so cute! And I have to say, this listicle, and this site, prove to me that the French home cooks are just like us. ;). I mean, sometimes goofy and not always motivated by perfection. ;)

I've never seen a charlotte made with madeleines. Yes, charlottes can be goopy, but don't have to be (so too tiramisu, but the ones fans like are very goopy). That could be possible. There are post-rouse charlottes made with brioche or sponge, so why not madeleines? I looked up a few more recipes with madeleines to see how they were done, and some seemed to be trifle in a madeleine suit. I like the presentation of the madeleines as a standing fence around the outside. Prettier than sponge, for sure. Filled with a stiff mousse and fruit, rather than custard, jam and cream, it would be cakelike, not just goopy. I think this idea has a lot of merit! Thank-you!

We love madeleines. I eat them as I would a cookie. Of course, the recipe has to have good flavor. They are not unlike a taste of a good pound cake, but the texture is lighter. BC (before children) I baked them myself a few times. A few years ago I gave my madeleine pans to my foodie son before his son was born, and he baked them often for a treat. Now I imagine with their fussy baby, madeleines are a distant memory for them too. But he will be cooking more as this little one grows up and settles in.

If you haven’t already given your house keeper (or hair dresser, manicurist, aesthetician, etc.) his or her Christmas/Holiday bonus, the Madeleines would be the perfect accompaniment to it!

I could send you my address....I would love them, there is nothing better to me than a little piece of buttery plain cake or a madeleine, but a nicer idea would be to just give them to your local food pantry since your family seems to have such a hard time with them!

Why didn't I think of that, Janie? I usually give them cash because they can get far more out of a dollar than a dollar's worth of food at store prices. I think there's still a collection barrel in the lobby at my congregation. They can break up the box too, since the cakes are individually wrapped.

Sammy, that's a good idea too, but my stylist needs chocolate. It can be Godiva or Hershey's--she doesn't look gift chocolate in the label--but I'd have open up the packages to do the chocolate dip thing. :)

Some of those desserts look fun but they would still taste of unwanted, or as in the first one, stale madeleines. I too like the spiders!

@pilog - French food sites and food bloggers just show how universal we all are. I often go to various sites for research on dishes. I also love the tv series Les Carnets de Julie (on YouTube, with recipes in the comments fields) which often has the charming host going into the other regions to meet with home cooks and farmers.

Donating them sounds like the solution for you.