Mix the cream cheese, sugar, and vanilla together, then place the bowl in the fridge so the mixture stays cold while you make the muffin batter.

Preheat your oven to 450 degrees Fahrenheit. Line a six-well jumbo muffin tin with paper liners and set aside for now.

Melt your vegan butter (I use Earth Balance spread) in a microwave-safe bowl. Add the pumpkin, vinegar and plant milk (I use Silk Original Soymilk or another high protein plant milk). Whisk together.

Add the Freely Vegan Muffin Mix, brown sugar, pumpkin pie spice, and baking soda to the bowl. (I make my own pumpkin pie spice but you can also use store-bought.)

Whisk everything together and then let the batter stand for 15 minutes. (Note that the batter will be fairly thick but still whiskable.)

After your batter has rested, stir it down well to release the built-up air bubbles. I know this sounds wrong, but just trust me and stir your batter as it helps to get the best baked texture in your muffins!

Fill your muffin liners about 1/2 full with batter and make a well in the top of the batter in each cup. Reserve 1/4 of your cream cheese mixture for the tops, then divide the rest between the muffin cups. Divide the remaining batter equally among the muffin cups and make a slight well in the top of each one. (Note that they will be quite full.) Divide your reserved cream cheese mixture among the muffin cups.

Use a table knife to carefully swirl the cream cheese and muffin batter together. Be sure your knife reaches all the way to the bottom of the cup. (This is a bit messy, but not too bad if you wipe your knife off between each muffin.)

Bake your muffins for five minutes at 450 degrees Fahrenheit, then reduce the oven temperature to 375 degrees and bake for an additional 31 to 34 minutes. The tops should be golden brown and bounce back when lightly pressed when they are done. (Give them the full baking time if you are unsure as a bit more baking time is preferable to an underdone center.)

Let your baked muffins cool in the pan for three minutes, then, remove them to a rack to finish cooling completely. Some muffins can be eaten warm, but these are far better once the cream cheese swirl has reached room temperature. Enjoy!

As with any homemade baked good, these muffins are best eaten the day they are made. They do freeze beautifully, though, so I recommend freezing any that you won't eat that day. To defrost, heat a frozen muffin on 50% power in your microwave until it is warm all the way through. Let cool to room temperature and enjoy.