Preheat your oven to 350°F. Prepare two standard muffin tins by lining them with 20 paper liners. Set aside.

For the cream cheese filling, combine cream cheese and granulated sugar in a medium mixing bowl. Using a handheld mixer on medium-low speed, beat the mixture for 1 minute until smooth.

Add the egg yolk and vanilla extract to the cream cheese mixture and beat for another 30 seconds until fully incorporated and smooth. Transfer the mixture to a piping bag or a Ziploc bag with the corner cut off. Set aside.

In a medium bowl, mix together the all-purpose flour, pumpkin pie spice blend, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda, and salt. Stir to combine evenly.

In a large mixing bowl, whisk together the canned pumpkin puree, vegetable oil, eggs, vanilla extract, light brown sugar, and granulated sugar until the mixture is smooth and fully blended.

Gradually add the dry flour mixture to the wet pumpkin mixture. Whisk until just combined, making sure the batter is thick and smooth.

Fill each muffin liner ¾ full with the pumpkin batter.

Pipe 1½-2 teaspoons of the cream cheese filling into the center of each muffin.

Bake the muffins for 25 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the pumpkin part of the muffin comes out clean. Allow the muffins to cool completely on a wire rack before serving.