Begin by making the crust:
Stir together the flour and salt, then cut in the butter with a pastry blender until the mixture is the texture of coarse sand. Add 3 tablespoons of ice cold water and stir it in with a fork until you have a crumbly dough. You may need a 4th tablespoon of water to absorb all of the dry flour.

Turn the crumbly pie dough out onto a sheet of plastic wrap and press it together into a disc. Wrap it well, then place it in the refrigerator for at least an hour or up to three days. When the crust is ready, roll it into a 10″ round disc and cut it into four 2 1/2″ wide strips, then cut the other way to make rough squares. You don’t have to be too careful with this step, and the pieces won’t be square around the edges.

Place the pie crust pieces on a parchment lined baking sheet, cover them with the plastic wrap, and replace in the refrigerator.

Next, make the apple filling:
Preheat the oven to 425°F and place a rack in the center of the oven.

Cut about 2 lbs. of baking apples (firm baking apples are great, like Granny Smith, Honeycrisp, etc. are a great option) into 1/2″ slices. You should have approximately 8 cups of sliced apples. Toss the apple slices in the 2 Tbsp. of lemon juice.

In a separate bowl, stir together the brown sugar, spices, salt, and flour. Toss this over the apples, stirring to distribute it evenly. In a 10″ skillet, melt down the 6 Tbsp. of butter over medium heat. Add the apples and cook for a couple of minutes to allow them to soften and release their juices.

Add 1/2 cup of the apple juice and stir it in while continuing to cook. If the liquid is getting too thick and starts to stick to the pan, add the other quarter cup, a bit at a time, to prevent the filling from burning.

Allow the apples to cook and simmer for about ten minutes, stirring occasionally. They should be soft but still a bit firm in the center and not be mushy.

Toss the blackberries in the 2 Tbsp. of white sugar, then sprinkle them over the top of the apples. Distribute them as evenly as possible.

Place the chilled pie crust squares on top of the apple blackberry filling.

Brush the 1 Tbsp. of melted butter onto the pie crust, then stir together the 2 Tbsp. of white sugar and 1/2 tsp. cinnamon over the top.

To Bake the Pandowdy: Place the pan of pandowdy in the oven. Bake for 20-25 minutes, or until the crust squares are no longer doughy. Remove it from the oven and carefully press down on the pastry squares, allowing them to crack a bit and the juices from the filling to seep over them some.

Return the pandowdy to the oven and cook for another 25-30 minutes, or until the top of the crust is a deep golden brown.

Remove the pandowdy from the oven and allow it to cool for about 20 minutes before serving. Serve with ice cream or whipped cream.

Store any leftover pandowdy on the counter, making sure to cover it well. (cooked fruit fillings are counter safe)