Creamy Butternut Squash + Apple Soup

There are so many delicious fall soups out there.  This is one of them.  This soup is sweet and savory at the same time.  My inspiration for this recipe came from Cooking Light years ago.  When I saw the pre-cut butternut squash while doing my shopping at Trader Joe's it triggered this soup.  I know I had to go home and recreate it.

The Ingredients:
8 Cups Butternut Squash, cubed
4 Cups Fuji Apples, Cored and sliced into eighths (I did not my apples but you definitely can do that.)
1 Cup Fresh Cranberries
1/4 Cup Honey
4 Tablespoons Olive Oil
1 Tablespoon Coconut Sugar (brown sugar works too)
1/2 Teaspoon Fresh Ground Pepper
1 Teaspoon Kosher Salt
1 1/2 Teaspoons Ground Cinnamon
1 Teaspoon Ground Cumin
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Ginger
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Cardamom
1/2 Teaspoon Ground Nutmeg
1/4 Teaspoon Ground Cloves
2 Cups Leeks, halved then thinly sliced (you can substitute for 1 cup diced sweet yellow onions)
2 Cups Water
3 Cups Chicken Stock
1/3 Cup White Wine
OPTIONAL: 1 Tablespoon Half & Half for every 6-8 oz of soup (about 1 serving bowl worth)

The Steps:
1) Core and slice your apples into eighths.  I left my skin on but you can peel your apples. Then add the apples, butternut squash, and cranberries to a lightly oiled large jelly roll pan (12x17).

2)  Next drizzle Honey and 3 tablespoons of Olive Oil over the squash-apple mixture.  Then add in all of your spices, sugar, salt and pepper. Stir to coat evenly. Bake in the oven at 375 degrees for 45 - 60 minutes or until tender when pierced with a fork. Keep in mind that the mixture will continue to soften in liquid after it's done roasting, so the pieces do not have to be entirely mash-able...yet. Throughout the baking time, stir the mixture a couple times to make sure pieces didn't get too dry.   

3) About 10 minutes prior to taking the squash-apple mixture out of the oven, begin to saute the leeks.  So, add 1 tablespoon olive oil and leeks to a large stock pot and saute over medium heat until leeks soften (5-7 minutes).

4) After the leeks have softened, add in the wine.  Cook for 2 minutes, stirring occasionally.  Then add in the water, broth, squash-apple mix and bring to a boil. Turn the heat down to medium-high and gently boil the soup for about 20-25 minutes or until the squash and apple can easily be mashed.

5) Next up comes the puree process.  I used a hand immersion blender (aka stick blender) but you can use a regular blender or food processor too.  If you use the latter, you will have to blend in batches so it may take a bit longer than using a stick blender. Puree until soup is smooth.

OPTIONAL: 6) The soup is really creamy enough, so to be honest it does not need the half & half.  It's really more for looks, in my opinion:).   I've had it both ways and it is equally delicious! Slowly pour 1 tablespoon of Half & Half to each individual bowl around in a circle.  Using a spoon, swirl the cream in a circle, then serve. You could also have a creamer on the table and individuals can choose to add as desired.