Preheat the oven to 375°F. Line a standard muffin tin with paper baking cups and set aside.

Mix the dry ingredients:

In a medium bowl, whisk together the flour, cinnamon, ginger, nutmeg, cloves, baking soda, and salt. Set aside.

Mix the wet ingredients:

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the pumpkin puree, granulated sugar, and brown sugar until smooth.

Add the eggs, melted butter, and maple extract, and whisk until fully combined.

Combine:

Slowly stir the dry ingredients into the wet ingredients until just mixed and no flour remains. Don’t overmix—lumpy batter makes soft muffins!

Make the cheesecake swirl:

In a separate bowl, beat the softened cream cheese until creamy. Add the sugar, egg yolk, and vanilla extract, and mix until smooth.

Assemble the muffins:

Fill each muffin cup about ¾ full with pumpkin batter. Spoon about 1 tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture on top of each muffin. Use a toothpick or skewer to gently swirl the cheesecake into the batter. It won’t look perfect—and that’s okay! The magic happens in the oven.

Bake for 18 to 20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin part comes out clean or with just a few moist crumbs.

Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then enjoy warm or transfer to a wire rack to cool completely. Store leftovers in the fridge for a few days—if they last that long!