A petit four (plural: petits fours, also known as mignardises) is a small bite-sized confectionery or savory appetiser.

In 18th and 19th century France, large brick or stone ovens were used to bake bread.

Because the ovens took a long time to cool down after baking bread, bakers often took advantage of their stored heat for baking pastries.

This process was called baking à petit four (literally "at small oven").

[1][2] Petits fours come in three varieties: In a French pâtisserie, assorted small desserts are usually called mignardises, while hard, buttery biscuits are called petits fours.