• Preheat oven to 400 degrees F. You will be starting at a high heat and reducing it slightly. Line 12 muffin cups with squares of parchment or large cupcake liners that rise high and will contain the batter. If you want to skip the parchment, you can, but you'll need to make the muffins smaller.
• Make the cream cheese filling first. In a medium size bowl, beat cream cheese, sugar and vanilla until smooth. Set aside.
• Make the streusel. Mix together the sugar and flour, then stir in the butter until crumbly. If using unsalted butter, add a pinch of salt. Set aside.
• Thoroughly mix together the flour, salt, baking powder and baking soda.
• In a mixing bowl using an electric mixer, beat the butter and sugar until creamy. Add the eggs, one at a time, beating for 30 seconds after each egg. Beat in the extract. Add the sour cream and the flour mixture alternately and stir just until blended, then stir in the pineapple.
• Spoon muffin batter into muffin cups filling just under halfway full. If you want the cream cheese closer to the top, fill about ⅔ of the way full.
• Put a heaping spoonful of cream cheese filling in the center of each cup, dividing evenly among cups.
• Divide remaining batter evenly among cupcake cups, partially or fully covering the cream cheese (depends on how you want it). Sprinkle streusel over the top.
• Put the muffins in the 400 degrees oven and bake for 8 minutes, then reduce heat to 350 F and continue baking for about 20 minutes (for smaller muffins without parchment, check after 15) to 23 or until muffins barely start to brown around the edges. Let cool and drizzle with optional icing if using.

Optional Icing

• For the icing, put 2 teaspoons of butter in a saucepan and melt it. Turn off the heat.
• Add ⅔ cup of confectioners’ sugar to the warm butter along with ⅛ teaspoon of vanilla, then add pineapple juice 1 teaspoon at a time, stirring and allowing the warmth of the saucepan to dissolve the sugar.
• Use a small teaspoon or ¼ teaspoon measure to fling little lines of icing over the streusel (or just drizzle).