Start by peeling, seeding, and chopping the butternut squash into uniform pieces for even cooking. Dice the onion and mince the garlic; this will enhance the soup's base flavor. Quarter the apple, peel and slice the ginger, and gather the rest of your ingredients, including vegetable stock and spices.

Place all the prepared ingredients into the slow cooker, excluding the coconut milk and fresh thyme. Pour in the vegetable stock, then add the minced garlic, diced onion, apples, butternut squash, fresh ginger, bay leaf, ground cinnamon, cayenne pepper, sea salt, and pepper. Gently stir to ensure an even distribution of flavors throughout your Crock-pot Butternut Squash Soup.

Cover your slow cooker, and set it to cook on LOW for 6-8 hours or HIGH for 3-4 hours. The soup is done when the butternut squash is tender and easily pierced with a fork.

Once the cooking time is complete, remove and discard the bay leaf. Stir in the coconut milk for a creamy finish. Use an immersion blender directly in the Crock-pot for convenience, blending the soup until it's silky smooth.

After blending, taste the soup and adjust seasoning if needed with additional salt and pepper. Ladle the creamy Crock-pot Butternut Squash Soup into bowls and garnish with fresh thyme.