Copycat Panera Autumn Squash Soup

I recently went to Panera Bread when we were in Arizona and had the Autumn Squash Soup which I love. I sure wish they had a Panera close to us. So I nosed around on Pinterest and looked at recipes and came up with my own and I think it's really close.  I also topped it with Trader Joe's Pumpkin Spiced Pumpkin Seeds. They are a little sugared with cinnamon and it's a seasonal item so when they are sold out that's it. When I was there I bought three bags. As a garnish it really finishes off the soup. I love the little crunch they give.

INGREDIENTS:

1/3 of a small onion, chopped
1 medium butternut squash peeled and cubed
2 apples peeled and cubed (use a sweet apple, not tart apples)
1 tablespoon olive oil
2 tablespoons butter
1 teaspoon salt
couple dashes of pepper
1/2 teaspoon cinnamon
pinch of nutmeg
3 tablespoons brown sugar
3 cups chicken broth OR vegetable broth (your choice, I used chicken because I had it on hand)
1/2 of a 15 oz. can of pumpkin puree
1/2 cup heavy cream

DIRECTIONS:

Peel and chop onion, butternut squash, and apples. Saute with the oil, butter, salt and pepper in your soup pot until soft and tender. Takes 15 or so minutes. Stir while browning.

Add pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg, and brown sugar and stir. Add broth and stir. Cook for another 10 minutes.

Puree with immersion blender or in a blender and blend till creamy. Be carful as it will be very hot. Add the cream and blend together. This is when you taste test and decide if you would like to add more nutmeg or cinnamon. Not all vegetables are exactly the same size so more seasoning is sometimes needed.