In a large bowl whisk together the flour, baking powder, salt and zest. Set aside.
In a large mixing bowl or stand mixer (with the flat beaters) beat on medium speed the sugar and butter until creamy, approximately 2-3 minutes. Add the eggs and vanilla and beat to combine. Add the dry ingredients and combine on low speed until a dough start to form.
Move to a lightly floured flat surface and gently knead to form a compact dough. Do not over knead. Wrap it in plastic wrap and refrigerate for one hour.
Remove the dough from the fridge and place on a lightly floured flat surface. Remove pieces of the dough and form ropes approximately 8 inches (20cm) long and a little more than ¼ inch (1 cm) wide. Make a double twist to form a bunny. Place them on a parchment paper lined cookie sheet and refrigerate while the oven is pre-heating.
Pre-heat oven to 350F (180C).
Bake for approximately 10-15 minutes or until golden. Let cool 5-10 minutes on the baking sheet then move to a wire rack to cool completely. Make a small dollop of frosting on each bunny cookie for the tail and sprinkle with coconut. Press down lightly to get the coconut to stick. Enjoy!
CREAM CHEESE FROSTING
In a small bowl beat together all the ingredients until creamy. Fill a pastry bag using a small hole tip.
Notes
For room temperature ingredients remove from the fridge about 45-60 minutes before using.If you find the dough too dry add a bit more butter.If you wish you could add up to a ½ teaspoon of almond extract if you would like to flavor the dough although I think with the lemon zest and vanilla extract it has plenty of taste. To store the cookies - If you have made your bunny tails with the cream cheese frosting, these should only sit out at room temperature safely for 6-8 hours. After that store in an airtight container in the fridge and bring to room temperature before serving. Freeze unfrosted cookies in an airtight container in the freezer for up to 3 months. Thaw, frost the bunny tail and enjoy before serving.