Combine the flour, brown sugar, cinnamon, and salt in a small bowl.
Add the butter, and mix until all ingredients are moistened. Set aside. (You may want to refrigerate the topping if your kitchen is especially warm.)
To make the cheesecake filling:
Using an electric mixer on medium speed, beat the cream cheese, sugar, vanilla, and egg yolk until thoroughly combined and smooth.
Refrigerate while you make the muffins.
To make the muffins:
Preheat oven to 375°F (190°C). Line 12 standard muffins cups with paper liners.**
Combine the flour, sugar, brown sugar, baking powder, and salt. Make a well in the center.
In a separate bowl, combine the cooled butter, milk, eggs, and vanilla. Add to the well in the center of the flour mixture. Mix just until you see a few streaks of flour remaining.
Stir in the berries.
Place about 2 tablespoons of muffin batter in each prepared muffin cup. Use a spoon or a small spatula to spread the batter all the way to the sides of the cups.
Divide the cheesecake filling evenly among the muffin cups, using about 1/2 tablespoon of filling in each. Place the filling so that it's in the center of the muffin batter.
Top each muffin with the remaining batter (about a scant tablespoon per muffin).
Sprinkle the crumb topping over the muffins.
Bake 20-24 minutes, or until the tops of the muffins are golden brown and a pick inserted into the center comes out clean.
Cool the muffins in the pans on a wire rack for 10 minutes. Then transfer the muffins from the pan to a wire rack to cool completely.
Video
Notes
*If you're using larger berries like strawberries, be sure to chop them into bite-sized pieces.
**You can opt to skip the liners and just grease the pan, but I find that these muffins work much more nicely with liners.
If the muffins won't be eaten within a day or two, I recommend covering them tightly and refrigerating.