Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Place peanuts, almonds, sesame seeds, cinnamon stick and tortilla wedges on a baking sheet. Toast in the oven until golden brown, being careful to not burn the sesame seeds, 10 to 20 minutes.

Wearing gloves, remove the stems, seeds and inner ribs from the chiles and tear the chiles into large pieces.

Heat oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the chile pieces, onion and garlic. Cook, stirring, until the chiles are fragrant and the onion is soft, about 5 minutes. Add the toasted ingredients and cook, stirring constantly, until the onion begins to brown, being careful not to burn the chiles or nuts, 3 to 5 minutes. Add chocolate, tomato sauce (or tomatoes), salt and pepper and cook, stirring, for 3 minutes. Add broth and bring to a simmer. Reduce heat and cook, uncovered, for 20 minutes.

Remove the cinnamon stick and discard. Puree the sauce in a blender (in 3 batches) until smooth, 3 to 4 minutes per batch. (Use caution when pureeing hot liquids.)

Notes: Mildly spicy dried chiles, such as ancho, guajillo, New Mexico, mulato and California chiles, are used to add moderate heat and a rich flavor to sauces, soups and stews. Find them in the produce section of large supermarkets or online at melissas.com.

Mexican chocolate is a mixture of dried toasted cacao, sugar and Mexican cinnamon. Ibarra and Abuelita are popular brands. Or substitute 1 ounce semisweet chocolate plus 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon per ounce of Mexican chocolate.

MAKE AHEAD TIP: Cover and refrigerate for up to 3 days or freeze for up to 6 months.