• Preheat the oven to 375°F(190°C). Line 12 non-stick standard paper liners into a regular size 12 cup-cupcake/muffin pan and set aside.

Crumbles

• Place the flour, sugar and cinnamon in a small-medium bowl and stir with a fork.  Pour the melted butter and stir until the mixture forms crumbles. If you are working in a hot environment, you can keep the mixture in the fridge to keep the butter cold.

Cream Cheese Filling

• Put the cream cheese, sugar and vanilla extract in a medium bowl and stir with a spoon until completely combined. Set aside the bowl.

Muffin Batter

• Put the chopped apples into a small bowl and mix in the lemon juice.
• Place the flour, cinnamon, nutmeg, baking powder and salt in a large bowl and stir with a whisk.  Set aside.
• Mix the eggs and sugar in a medium bowl and whisk for almost 20 seconds until combined well.
• Add the milk, melted butter and vanilla extract and stir with a whisk.
• Pour the wet mixture over the flour mixture and stir with a whisk. You can continue with a spoon/spatula.
• Fold the apples with a spoon/spatula.

Assemble

• Set aside 6 tablespoons of the muffin batter.
• Divide the muffin batter (almost 2 and ½ tablespoons per cup) into a 12 muffin cup tin.
• Spread the batter to the sides with a back of a spoon. Try to fill 2 teaspoons of cream cheese mixture into the middle hole you created as much as you can and gently press to the filling.
• Top the cream cheese mixture with the batter you set aside (½ tablespoon for each muffin) and spread it with the back of a spoon.
• Sprinkle the crumbles on top.
• Bake for 22-25 minutes or until the batter part of the muffins look golden brown and the crumbles are lightly brown.
• Let the muffins cool in the pan for 10 minutes and then gently remove them from the pan with the help of a small spatula or a knife as these muffins are fragile due to the cream cheese. Let them cool on a wire rack.